Jaras' Reclamation
by KSipesh
Summary: COMPLETE The sequel to Guilt's Cost. Do not open this story unless you have finished Guilt's Cost and Guilt's Cost Continued. Six years after GC, Jaras is discovered, and happily ever after is over... I will not tolerate grief for this story.
1. Chapter 1

Please Read:

Okay, I put this disclaimer on this story on my web site, and I'm going to put it here, too, even though people seem to be ignoring it and giving me a hard time anyway. Just please humor me and read this first, it won't take long, okay?

Congratulations if you've made it this far. Jaras' Reclamation is the 'secret' continuation of Guilt's Cost. Why is it secret, you ask? Well, I'll tell you:

Recently, I went through some personal tragedy. The nature of it isn't important, but I will say that in my pain I write, and write I did, this story being the result. Therein, everything I've been feeling has been poured into this in one manifestation or another. This story is personal to me, written FOR me. I originally didn't intend to put it up anywhere for public consumption. Then, I put it just up on my web site, and actually got some favorable feedback, and encouragement to put it here, and thus, I have.

During the writing of Guilt's Cost, I was flooded with emails regarding the story. While most of them were favorable, some of them were not. The complaints I received were mainly regarding the fact that some readers couldn't tolerate the level of 'cruelty' I put the characters through. Well, if you're interested in this story, then I can only assume that you actually MADE it through Guilt's Cost, which presumably means that you can cope with my writing style. However, if you were one of the people that managed to read Guilt's Cost in it's entirety, but were glad to have the sense of 'happily ever after' that it ended with, then I would also caution against reading this story.

Jaras' Reclamation is something I wrote mainly for myself. In it, I've made no attempt to 'sanitize' my true writing style in order to make it more palatable as I did with Guilt's Cost. This is my real style, unchained and unbound. Happily ever after didn't happen, and anyone that really knows me and my style shouldn't have expected otherwise.

I'm not dogging my own tale just for the hell of it. I just don't want people starting this tale and then getting 'mad' at me for writing something like this.

Also, it took me years to finish Guilt's Cost, so I would just say right off the bat that I'm not necessarily going to 'fly' through writing this one, either. But, if you're game to humor me and read on, go for it. I do appreciate those who have stood by me and my work, and I thank all of you.

Chapter One

Jaras was sitting behind the counter of his bookstore, waiting for closing time to come. It was only four-thirty, and he had another hour and a half to go before he could go home. He no longer lived in the small apartment above the store-- that was now rented out to the young man that had been working for him for several years. Instead, Jaras now lived in a small home on the edge of Mideel with his wife, Jeanine. They had gotten married shortly before his little brother Aaron's birth several years before. Life was just about as good as it could get, as far as Jaras was concerned.

The phone rang, snapping Jaras out of his daydream. "Mideel Books, Jaras speaking."

"Jaras, how are you doing?" asked the voice from the other end.

He smiled widely upon hearing his father's voice. "Hey, Dad. Everything's great. How's Tifa and Aaron?"

Vincent smiled, sitting down in a kitchen chair. "They're doing fine. Aaron started kindergarten today."

"Wow, already? He's six, right?" Jaras still wasn't used to the fact that he had a baby brother nearly thirty-five years younger than him. "Seems like you guys just had him."

"I know, it's weird, huh?" Vincent looked over as he heard someone walk into the kitchen behind him. It was Tifa.

"So, when's the next one due?" Jaras asked.

Vincent continued to gaze over at his heavily pregnant wife. "She's thirty-four weeks now, so about a month and a half."

"And you guys are still waiting for the birth to find out the gender?" Jaras tried to envision Tifa pregnant, as he hadn't seen her since before she'd started showing.

"Yeah, that's what she wants." Vincent stood up, going over and examining the contents of the grocery bag that Tifa had set on the counter. He saw some pudding cups inside and pulled one out. "She's really excited."

"And what's Aaron think about the whole situation?" Jaras could hear his father digging through a silverware drawer.

Finally retrieving a spoon, Vincent went and sat at the table again. "He's excited. He's pulling for a baby brother, but he says a sister would be all right as well."

"What do you want?" Jaras asked.

"I don't know, it'd be nice to have a daughter I suppose. Then I'd have two of each." Vincent pulled the foil cover from his snack.

Jaras grinned at the thought of his sister Angel. He'd spoken with her just a few days before, her own little girl screaming and running around in the background. "Well, I guess we'll find out soon enough."

"Yeah," Vincent sighed. "Anyway, the reason I was calling is that Tifa really wants you and Jeanine to head on out after the baby's born for a visit. She talked to Cid the other day and he was game to pick the two of you up and bring you here when the time comes."

Jaras nodded. "Sure, that shouldn't be a problem. Mark can run the store for a few days. He's done it plenty of times before. I know Jeanine would love to come out. She's sort of getting baby fever, you know. Her clock's ticking."

Vincent laughed. "Do you think you'll have any?"

"I don't know, Dad. I'm forty now. She's still game, but…" His voice trailed off for a moment.

"Well, if Cid could handle raising a kid at that age, then I'm sure you could." Vincent said, his mouth full.

"And I'm sure his general mood and attitude is doing nothing but improving with age," Jaras laughed back. He hadn't seen the pilot since he and Jeanine's wedding, but knew that of all people, Cid would always be the same.

"And that would be a correct assumption." Vincent finished his small pudding cup and got up, going over and throwing the container in the garbage and tossing the spoon in the sink. "Anyway, I better go. Tifa wants me to go to her doctor's appointment with her in a little while."

"Okay, I'll talk to you later, Dad."

"Bye, Jaras." Vincent hung up the phone.

Jaras sat back and sighed. Going to go see his father and Tifa after the baby was born would be the first thing resembling a vacation that he and Jeanine had gotten in a while. When the door to his shop opened, he turned his attention to his potential customer. It wasn't someone he recognized, and he figured it was a tourist. "Hello."

The young woman smiled at him and approached the counter. "Hi there."

"Can I help you with something?" he asked, seeing that she was studying him.

She narrowed her eyes, smiling. "You bear a striking resemblance to someone, you know."

Jaras felt his heart race. The fact that he could do little to conceal his identity was foremost on his mind. He opted to try and play stupid. "Do I?"

She saw his nervous reaction, despite his attempt to cover it. "Yes, you look like Sephiroth."

He managed a nervous laugh. "No."

When she saw his cat like green eyes dilate wide upon the mention of Sephiroth's name, she knew she had him. "Well, in any event, I was wondering if you had any books on Materia?"

Relieved that the conversation had moved away from him, Jaras smiled and pointed to a nearby rack. "There's several of them there. Is there a particular title you're interested in?"

She strolled over where he'd indicated and examined the books there. "No, just something general, I suppose."

"That green one to your left is good. It has a lot of information," Jaras said.

The woman reached down and picked up the book. "All right, it should do, then."

Jaras rang her out for her purchase and smiled at her as she picked up the book and walked from the store. "Have a nice day, Miss."

"You as well," she replied, then leaving. The blond made it a short distance down the sidewalk before stopping and pulling out her cell phone. She dialed a number, and waited for someone to answer.

"Yes?" a man's voice asked.

"Identity verified, mark is true. Code Jenova," she said quietly, before flipping her phone closed and disappearing down the street.

-------------------

At the other end of the line, Rude closed his own phone and frowned for a moment. He didn't want to relate this information to President Harwin, but he had no choice. The man was sitting right in front of him and saw his expression.

"What is it, Rude?" the corpulent man asked.

He knit his brow for a moment, pushing his sunglasses higher up his nose. "That was a check in from Deana."

Harwin smiled. He'd been waiting for news from that Turk for a while regarding the status of something in Mideel. "And?"

Rude hung his head, dreading what he had to say. "Code Jenova."

The fat man squealed with delight and leapt up from his seat, slamming his hands down upon his desk. "I'll be damned! I want him caught now! Methius will be delighted!"

The Turk sighed heavily. Letting Peirte Methius get his hands on Jaras was the last thing he wanted. If Hojo had been insanely evil, then he and Doctor Peirte Methius must have been cut from the same cloth. The rumor that Sephiroth had been living in Mideel for years incognito had finally made its way to Shinra's ears, and with that, they had sent Deana out to verify or refute this claim. Methius was eagerly awaiting verification of Sephiroth's existence, wanting desperately to try his hand at revamping the former General into something greater than he had been before.

Rude had been working as a double agent for both Shinra and ASRIO now for six years. He'd given the heads up to Reno some time ago that the company was getting ready to look into Jaras' identity, but the fact that it had now happened and he hadn't spoken to Reno recently stung something within him. Rude had met Jaras briefly back at the time of Hojo's death and at Tseng's funeral, and didn't relish the thought of the reformed man going back into the lab, Hojo's or not. The Turk was aware that he had to get word to ASRIO immediately if they were to get Jaras to safety before Shinra got to him.

Rude considered the cell phone still clutched in his hand. "Mister President, I need to go make a personal call."

Harwin shook his head and wagged a finger at him. "Not until you give the order to the men in Mideel to move in and get Sephiroth. Your own personal business can wait."

_Shit,_ Rude thought to himself. There was an ASRIO agent in Mideel and if he could just call ASRIO first, this impending tragedy for Jaras might be avoided. With the President of the company staring at him though, there was no way he could do that and not lose his own job and life. Reluctantly, he flipped his phone open and hit a speed dial button. He quickly hit the clear button and then chose another speed dial number instead. The fortitude in what he was about to do right in front of the most powerful man in the world made him uncharacteristically nervous.

"What?" someone immediately answered.

Rude closed his eyes behind his tinted lenses, suppressing his urge to smile at hearing Reno's familiar voice. Hopefully the former Turk would understand what he was about to hear, since Rude couldn't blow his cover. "C…Code Jenova. Move out and capture the mark."

Reno scowled as he tried to figure out what in the hell he'd just been told. "Rude, is that you?"

"Yes."

"What the fuck is going on?" Reno asked, not getting it.

A trained and waiting SOLDIER like the one he was supposed to be calling wouldn't need to question this order and Rude found himself in the bad position of not being able to explain himself "I said Code Jenova, the _mark_ has been _identified._"

Reno attempted to question Rude one more time, but found that he was quickly hung up on.

Rude slipped his phone back into his pocket and looked at the President. "Done."

Harwin fell back into his seat again, his self-satisfaction evident on his face. "Good, go make your call now."

Rude nodded curtly, not believing what he'd just gotten away with. He walked from the room and pulled his phone out again. Aware that the SOLDIERs in Mideel would log the time when they received his call, he knew he had to actually make the call to them immediately to prevent any glaring inconsistencies. He dialed the right number this time.

Someone answered on the first ring. "Sir?"

Rude frowned and repeated the phrase again. "Code Jenova. Move out and capture the mark."

The man on the other end became nervous and it reflected in his voice, not eager to face Sephiroth for his meager SOLDIER wage. "Yes, Sir."

Rude flipped the phone close one more time and went back into the President's office.

-------------------

Reno stood in a corridor of the ASRIO base staring at the phone in his hand. He knew that it had been Rude beyond question, but he wasn't sure what was going on. _Code Jenova? _he thought, _what's that supposed to mean? It has to be important, I should know this! I was a Turk, damn it. Come on, Reno, think! Jenova…that was the thing that they took cells from and injected Sephiroth-- oh fuck!_

Reno quickly dialed a number and felt his heart begin to race. This couldn't be happening. Rude had said something in his usual cryptic way a few weeks ago about Shinra looking for Sephiroth, but in his typical manner, Reno had opted to be too cool about the whole thing. Now it was going to bite him in the ass. "Come on, answer you lazy bitch!"

"Hello?"

"Spanky, listen to me. Go get Jaras right now and get him hidden!" Reno said, his voice betraying his anxiety.

The ASRIO agent knew better than to question Reno when he was speaking in this tone. "Yes, Sir."

"Good. Call me after you get him!" Reno then hung up, wanting the agent to get to Jaras as soon as possible.

-------------------

It was now closer to six, and Jaras was starting to count out his register and prepare his deposit to be dropped off at the bank on the way home, since it was Tuesday. He was a creature of habit, and his routines were generally set in stone. This, unfortunately, made him predictable.

At five forty-five, he put the day's cash in the envelope for the bank and sealed it before placing it in his pack that he brought to work everyday. After that, he walked through the store, making sure that all the books were in their place, and that any bare spots on the shelves were filled with stock from the back.

At five till six, he turned the sign in the window to 'Closed', and turned off the lights in the back room. He went over by the registers again and flipped through the ledgers for a moment, seeing that he needed to make another order of those trashy romance novels again, as he did every Wednesday, before cutting out of the store three minutes early. With the lights off and the door locked, Jaras began to walk down the street, intending to put the week's deposit in the bank's night drop box on the way home.

He never suspected for a moment that his routine was about to be interrupted.

As he neared the bank, he veered off of the sidewalk and strolled through the parking lot. The night deposit box for the bank was on the side of the building, located in a spot not visible from the street. It wasn't the safest set up they could have managed, but this was Mideel and nothing ever happened here.

He pulled his pack from his shoulder and reached inside, pulling out the envelope within. It was quickly then dropped into the slot and he flung his pack onto his back again and turned around. He froze in place.

There before him stood four Shinra SOLDIERs, with their assault rifles pointed at him. The one on the far right of the group spoke. "Sephiroth, put your hands up and get down on your knees!"

Jaras began to hyperventilate, having feared this moment for ages. They knew whom he was and they were going to take him away. Yet, those rifles pointing at him would tear him apart if they thought he was a threat and he didn't know what else to do other than comply.

The four men came closer, keeping their weapons trained upon him. The man who'd spoken before did so again. "Lay down!"

Jaras, shaking badly, moved to get on his stomach. The asphalt was still warm from the day's heat, and it didn't help the fact that he was already sweating profusely in his anxiety. "Please, you guys have the wrong man! I'm not Sephiroth!"

One of the men lowered his gun and quickly got to Jaras' side and knelt down, putting his knee painfully in the middle of Jaras' back, pinning him to the ground. "We know who you are, don't resist!"

Jaras felt his arms wrenched painfully behind his back as a pair of cuffs were placed on him. "What do you want?"

"We have orders to take you back to Shinra. You are their property and belong to the company," the man behind him said, rustling around with something that Jaras couldn't see.

"Let me go! I'm not Sephiroth! My name's Jaras Ross, I run a bookstore! Please!" he begged, the terror of the situation ripping through him.

"You are Sephiroth." The man pinning him down moved quickly, reaching around and placing something over Jaras' mouth and nose.

He struggled for all he was worth and held his breath for several seconds, but his need to breathe got the better of him and he inhaled against the rag being held to his face and his world started to spin. Within a few moments, Jaras was unconscious.

-------------------

At two minutes past six, Spanky got to the bookstore, finding that it was already shut up for the night and that Jaras was nowhere to be found. He cursed his luck and started running down the street, looking for the man he'd been ordered to find.

As he neared the bank, he had to jump back as a van pealed out of the parking lot, damn near running him over as he'd tried to cross the driveway. He shouted out at the driver and flipped him off before continuing on his way toward Jaras' house, hoping to find him there.

He got to the house and knocked on the door. Something didn't feel right and Spanky had a feeling that things weren't going to turn out well.

Jeanine answered, smiling at the ASRIO agent that had been living in town to keep an eye on Jaras and herself for the last few years. Quickly, she saw that something was wrong. "Spanky? What's going on?"

"Is Jaras home?" he asked, running a hand through his hair.

She shook her head. "No, he's due home anytime now, though. He always gets here at this time."

"I was just at the store and he was gone, and I ran the whole route he takes home to get here, Mrs. Ross. I didn't see him anywhere." Spanky motioned back behind him. "Is there anywhere he might have gone after work today?"

She shook her head. "No, he always comes straight home on Tuesday after stopping at the bank to drop off the deposit. I make ravioli on Tuesdays and he's never been late."

Spanky's eyes went wide. "He… he stops at the bank on Tuesdays?"

"Every one of them." Jeanine started to feel nervous. "Why? What's going on?"

He remembered almost being run over by the van near the bank and felt his heart jump into this throat. Immediately he knew he'd failed his mission. "Oh dear God…"

Jeanine was outright panicked now. "Spanky, what's going on?"

"Reno called and said that I needed to get Jaras. Shinra figured it out and I was supposed to get to him before they did. I think… I think I was too late." He hung his head, disappointed in himself and fearing the call he was about to make.

She felt herself waver at this news, and grabbed a hold of the doorframe to steady herself. The thought that Jaras may have been kidnapped was more than she could bear. "Spanky, they can't get a hold of him! You know what they'll do to Jaras if they get him!"

"I'm all too aware of it, Mrs. Ross," he replied, pulling out his phone. He disregarded Jeanine as she proceeded to break down before him. After dialing Reno's number, he held the phone to his ear.

Reno answered, already knowing who it was from his caller I.D. "Spanky, please tell me you've got the creepy bastard."

He hesitated. "I'm sorry, Reno. He's gone."

In a rare moment, Reno was speechless and he fell back into the chair he was standing by. "Oh fuck…"

"I got to the store and he was gone for the night. On the way to his house, I almost got hit by a van pulling out of the bank's parking lot. I'm pretty damned sure they had him in that van, Reno." Sparks turned away from Jeanine, not able to stand watching her cry.

Reno's first thought was how Angel was going to react when she got this news. She loved her brother and they'd gotten close over the years. This would tear her apart. Then came the thought of how he would have to call Vincent and tell him. That would possibly prove to be even worse. Despite all the years that had elapsed and the fact that Vincent no longer was possessed by that demon, Reno was still scared of him.

Now ASRIO was going to have to find out where they were going to try and hide Jaras and get him back. "Okay… look, take Jeanine and get her here to the base so we know that she's at least safe, all right? We'll figure out what to do, Spanky."

The fact that Reno wasn't going to just fly off the handle and have a major temper tantrum scared the agent. When Reno sounded nice, _really _nice, it meant that he was too freaked out to be his usual self. Spanky knew that things were about to get messy. "Okay. I'm with Mrs. Ross now. We'll head to the base immediately."

"Good. I'll see you when you get here. Make sure she stays safe. If we get Jaras back and anything's happened to her, he'll shit a brick." Reno turned his phone off and tossed it onto the coffee table before him.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Jaras awoke from a horrible pain in his shoulders. He opened his eyes and tried to look around, but he was gagged and blindfolded, unable to see or say anything. His shoulders were aching as he was presently lying on his back on the van's metal floor, and his hands were still in the cuffs beneath him.

Upon seeing their prisoner rouse, the lead SOLDIER in the van spoke. "You know, we were all scared shitless about facing you, Sephiroth. You didn't even put up a fight, though. Is it really true that you lost all of your power after Meteor, or are you just putting us all on and you're actually going to snuff us when we're least expecting it?"

The other men laughed as the van continued to rattle down the road.

Jaras desperately wanted to ask what was going on and where they were taking him, but was in no position to do so. He struggled against the cuffs still binding his hands. They had cut off the circulation in his hands completely in the position he was in, and he wasn't able to roll over onto his stomach to get the pressure off of them since his legs were now bound as well.

Seeing him writhing on the floor just seemed to amuse the SOLDIERs more. One of them, sitting close to Jaras, jabbed him with the barrel of his rifle. "Yeah, he's not so fucking bad now, is he? I bet we could do whatever we wanted to him and he wouldn't be able to do a God damned thing about it."

Jaras instantly quit moving all together. There had been something in the man's tone that chilled him to the core. He realized that wherever they might be taking him, that this trip there might prove to be just as bad.

Delighted with the change in Jaras' attitude, the man got down low and growled into the prisoner's ear. "We could have a real good time with you, you know."

Jaras swallowed hard, and felt himself start to shake again. Like most men, he had never been spoken to in that tone before, and it terrified him. There was something profoundly wrong in whatever the man next to him was contemplating. _Please leave me alone!_

-------------------

Reno had made his way to the house he and Angel had purchased up in town. They had moved out of the base after the birth of their daughter several years back, as it was no place to raise a child. Angel had been excited about this, as having a place of her own, a _real_ place, was all she had ever hoped for.

He threw open the front door, and was immediately accosted by his carrot topped daughter. "Daddy!"

"Hey, Squirt. Where's your mom?" he asked, peeling her from his leg.

"Upstairs." She ran back off to continue whatever it was that she had been up to. Undoubtedly, it was something related to wanton property destruction. This girl was far too much like her father in that way.

Reno scaled the stairs and found his wife scrubbing the floor of the master bath. Despite the fact that he had horrible news to share, he couldn't help but smile and make light of the position she was in. "That's what I like about you, babe. I come home from work and find you up here on your knees."

Angel straightened up and cocked her eyebrow, mimicking her father's generally annoyed expression. "Reno."

"Fuck, don't look at me like that!" Reno cringed, not liking it when her 'Vincentness' came up so clearly.

She broke into a smile and hurled the scrubbing brush at him. "You really know how to make a girl get in the mood, you know."

"Yeah," Reno sighed, his cocky smile suddenly fading. He couldn't put it off anymore. "Angel, come over here and sit down, okay?"

She rose from the bathroom floor and narrowed her eyes. There was something obviously serious going on and she went and landed on the edge of the bed as Reno had asked. "What is it?"

He hung his head and placed his hands on her shoulders. "It's Jaras."

Her eyes went wide. "What happened? Is he okay?"

"I don't know, babe." Reno went ahead and sat beside her. "Rude called me and told me that Shinra was going to get him and I called Spanky right away, but it was already too late."

Angel covered her mouth with her hands and felt tears burn in her eyes. "Oh God, Reno! We have to find him and get him back!"

Reno put his arms around her and pulled her close. "We will, we will."

Angel sobbed against her husband's side for several minutes, before pulling back and looking into his eyes. "Have you told my father yet?"

He shook his head. "No, I need to."

"Okay." Angel would do it herself, but knew that the tears would come back up and ruin her ability to communicate.

Reno pulled out his phone and dialed his father-in-law.

Vincent, as usual, answered before the third ring. "Hello?"

"Hey old man," Reno said quietly.

Vincent knew that something was wrong right off the bat. Reno never made it a habit of calling him. "What's up?"

Reno looked over at Angel, but saw that she wasn't going to get him off the hook for this. "Shinra…got Jaras today."

He felt the faint hint of color that he had drain away. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me, Vinny. They got your boy." Reno braced himself for Vincent's response.

For several moments, Vincent didn't do anything. Even Tifa, who was sitting next to him on the couch was presently unaware that anything significant was going on.

"You there?" Reno asked, wondering if Vincent had just fallen over dead.

"Yeah," Vincent replied quietly, feeling his hands start to shake. "I just talked to him this afternoon… When did it happen?"

"Sometime between five thirty and six, I guess."

Tifa finally felt Vincent's unrest and turned to face him. "Vincent?"

He glanced at her, "Jaras has been kidnapped."

"What?" Tifa quickly stood up, her eyes going wide.

Reno heard her reaction. "Don't let her get all freaked out, Vinny. She's got a baby in there."

Vincent reached out and took her hand, pulling her back to the couch. "So, now what?"

"I'll have my men find out where they're taking him and we'll get him back," Reno said, his confidence in this statement clear.

"I'm coming." Vincent looked at Tifa. "Send out the airship or helicopter for me."

"Vincent!" Tifa exclaimed, not well for her husband taking off in light of her current condition.

He pulled the phone from his ear for a moment. "Tifa, if it was Aaron that they had, you'd want me to go in there and get him, right?"

She couldn't argue with that statement. "Well, yeah, but--"

"Tifa, Jaras is my son, I have to help him. I'll be all right." He took the phone back up and turned away from her. "How soon can we get him?"

"Like I said, we have to find out where they're taking him first. Once we know that, we're all up on it." Reno thought for a moment. "I'll arrange for you to get here, okay?"

"Good, I'll be ready." Vincent put his arm around Tifa's shoulders, seeing that she was crying.

"Okay, I'll talk to you soon." Reno hung up.

Vincent placed his phone on the coffee table and turned to face Tifa again. "Are you all right?"

She shook her head. Although she was terribly upset about Jaras, the thought of Vincent going back into action scared her more. He had a family now, and if she lost him, she didn't know what she would do. "What if something happens to you?"

"Tifa, I was a Turk. I've made it this far." He had no intention of failing.

"Yeah, and that was a long time ago. You haven't done anything like that since getting your own body back, Vince. You can actually be killed now, you know." Tears rolled down her cheeks. "You have a new baby on the way for God's sake!"

He knew this was going to hurt her no matter what. "I know, and like I said, I'll be fine, Tifa. But I can't just leave the rescue of my son in the hands of other people."

She closed her eyes and slouched. There was no arguing with Vincent when his mind was made up. "Damn you."

He sighed heavily and put his arms around her. "It'll be fine. Maybe Cid can come stay with you while I'm gone."

She nodded slightly, her heart rate jumping at the mention of the pilot's name. The memory of what had happened between the two of them during their last visit burning through her. "Maybe."

"Come on, you know you want to see him, right?" Vincent asked.

"Not at the risk of losing you!"

"Like I said, I'll be fine, Tifa. I always am." Vincent nuzzled into her neck.

-------------------

Cid had just put his son to bed for the night and sat at the kitchen table, staring into space. It had been a bad day-- a very bad day. His eyes were red and he looked more haggard than normal. Although he knew he should get to bed too, he was well aware of the fact that he wouldn't be able to sleep at all in light of the news he'd received that morning.

When the phone rang, it snapped him out of his state and he went over and answered. "Yeah?"

"Cid, sorry to be calling this late," Vincent said, knowing that the pilot generally wasn't thrilled to get called after eight.

"Hey, Sue, what's up?" Cid went back over and landed in the seat he'd been in before. Vincent or not, at least talking to someone about anything would get his mind off of his present situation.

He could hear something reflected in Cid's voice. "Is something wrong?"

Cid did his best to pull off his usual sarcastic and tough air. "Hell no, I was just tired, that's all."

Vincent could tell that he was lying, but opted not to press him on the subject for the time being. "Look, I hate to bother you, but we got some really bad news today."

_You don't know what bad news is, Sunshine, _Cid thought to himself before replying. "What's that?"

"Jaras was kidnapped by Shinra."

Cid closed his eyes and shook his head. This was the last thing he needed to hear about right now. "Shit, that sucks."

"Yeah." Vincent's voice grew quieter. "I'm going to go to ASRIO and help them get him back. I was sort of hoping that maybe you could come out here to the house and stay with Tifa while I'm gone. I don't want her to be alone this far along."

The thought of being with and responsible for a pregnant woman after what had happened with his own wife nearly seven years back was not that appealing. Besides, the last time he'd seen Tifa, something had happened between the pilot and Vincent's wife, and he wasn't sure how he was going to handle seeing her face to face again. "I don't know, Sue. I've got a lot going on here right now that I need to deal with."

"Well, if you can't then that's fine. Maybe I can get a hold of someone else to stay with her." Vincent felt disappointed and a little surprised that the pilot would turn down a chance to be with Tifa. Cid loved her and he knew it.

"Yeah," Cid scowled to himself, "there's a lot going on." The thought that Tifa's well being could end up in the hands of someone other than Vincent or himself didn't sit right. Maybe getting away was a good idea. Tifa had been pregnant before and made it though with flying colors, and the chance of her dying like Shera had was slim. "What the hell, I'll come out."

Vincent was relieved to hear this and it showed. "I'd really appreciate that, Cid, and I know Tifa will, too. You'll bring your son, right?"

"Of course." The man never went anywhere without his boy. Besides, L.C. (what Cid had taken to calling his son) and Aaron got along really well.

"So, how's everything else going?" Vincent asked, wanting to momentarily get his mind off the recent turn of events.

As much as Cid wanted to talk to someone about what was going on with him, Vincent was not that person. "Fine."

Again, Vincent could tell that he was lying, and this time he didn't let it go so easily. "Cid? What is it?"

He shook his head and leaned back in his chair. "Nothing, and don't try pulling that old Turk psychology crap on me, either. If I say things are fine, then they are God damned fine."

"All right." Vincent didn't feel like pressing his luck at the moment. "So, I was hoping to get out of here and to ASRIO soon."

Cid didn't actually have anything going on that would prevent him from leaving immediately-- that had been a load of bull. "I can head over there in the morning."

Vincent nodded. "That would be great."

"Sure thing, Sunshine." He hung up the phone without any further pleasantries.

Vincent found himself cut off and turned to his wife. "Have you talked to Cid lately?"

Her tear stained eyes narrowed in concern. "Yeah, just last Thursday. Why? Is he okay?"

"I don't know, he sounded a little down." Vincent leaned back into the couch.

"He's been a little emotional since the whole thing with Jin," Tifa sighed.

Cid and Jin had gone out, off and on, for several years since meeting. The female mechanic and the arrogant pilot had, at times, proven to be a little too strong headed to be together on a permanent basis and had just continued dating for a long time. This hadn't stopped Cid from asking her to marry him four months ago, however. Jin had been both awaiting and dreading that moment, and when it finally arrived, she didn't know what to do. She had left hurriedly that night, not giving him an answer. Since then, she hadn't stopped by or returned his calls. He had admonished himself everyday since then for asking her to marry him, since he figured that doing so had cost him the only real relationship he'd had since Shera's passing.

"I don't think it was that," Vincent speculated.

"So, is he going to come out?" Tifa asked.

"He said he will tomorrow."

Tifa hung her head. "You're really going to go do this, then?"

He frowned. Vincent had no desire to spend the time between now and when he left for ASRIO in any heated debate over this with Tifa. If something did happen to him while he was gone and trying to save Jaras, he didn't want her final memories of him to be one of their knock down, drag out fights. Besides, she had a tendency to throw things when she got really mad, and with his body now completely human, that generally hurt. "I have no choice."

She got up and walked from the room. Vincent had been a good husband, despite his faults, over the years. Yet, the truth that he was willing to leave and very likely risk his life when he had a young child and a new baby just weeks from being born upset her. Reno had plenty of men more than qualified to carry out this mission. The fact that Vincent always felt the need to handle important things himself without asking for help or relying on others had been one of her major qualms with him. He needed to trust others to do things. Especially in regards to going on some sort of mission like this.

Although Vincent had made a remarkable recovery after his surgery to get his new body, he wasn't like he had been. He had some issues that he had to deal with, no matter how much he tried to hide his difficulties. For beginners, his finer motor skills had never quite gotten back to their previous level. He went to the gun range on a regular basis, but his aim had never recovered to its previous exceptional level. Even with just walking and running, sometimes he had trouble and he'd suffered several falls that were worse on his pride than his body.

Then there were the seizures. For the first two years after his surgery, all had seemed fine, but then something changed. Apparently, during the surgery, some damage had been done to his brain that had resulted in him developing something like epilepsy. Generally, they struck when he got emotionally agitated. The first one had happened during a fight the two of them were having over some trivial thing. Tifa had started to yell at him for something, and he'd suddenly gotten a strange expression as he felt a weird sensation overcoming him. His right arm had bent and drawn up to his chest, before his eyes had rolled back and he'd fallen to the ground, spasming violently. Tifa had flown to his side, not knowing what was going on. He'd continued to seize for about fifteen minutes, scaring her to death. She'd called the paramedics and he'd been taken to the hospital. Vincent had been diagnosed with a seizure disorder and had been put on medication. Since then, he'd only had a few more, but every once in a while they still happened. Going on a mission like this was exactly the sort of situation that could cause him to have an episode and this just all seemed like a bad idea.

The only good thing to have come out of this problem was the fact that he usually tried to avoid arguments now. Still, they occasionally happened.

She went to their bedroom and sat on the edge of the bed, allowing herself to cry. Tifa had long since thought that the days of stress and danger were over and done with. Their return was not something she welcomed. She wished that she wasn't presently in her condition so that she could go with him. Then again, even if she wasn't pregnant, she wouldn't have gone, knowing that she couldn't risk making their son, Aaron, an orphan. Even if Vincent did feel the need to send himself into danger, as a mother, she knew that her responsibilities were to her child and no one else. "God damn you, Vincent."

He had come down the hall and stopped short of going into the room when he heard her cursing him as she cried. Maybe this was more than he could ask of her to tolerate from him, but he had to see to Jaras' rescue. It's where he felt his duties as a father rested. He'd failed Jaras forty years ago. He'd failed him fourteen years ago. He wasn't going to fail him now. Feeling bad, he stepped into the room and looked over at his wife. "Tifa?"

For the time being, she chose to ignore him and kept her head in her hands.

Vincent sighed and then went over and sat beside her and placed an arm around her shoulders. "Come on."

She pulled herself together for a moment and looked at him. "Why is that happening now? He was there for thirteen years, why couldn't Shinra just leave him in peace?"

Now Vincent was getting to the bottom of it. She wasn't just worried about him going on some mission to save Jaras, but she was actually worried about Jaras. "I don't know."

"It's so unfair. He was happy with his store and Jeanine…" The tears burned in her eyes again.

"I know. It'll be all right, though."

Tifa shook her head. Nothing with this family was ever simple or easy and she knew better than to expect otherwise. "Promise me that you'll be back in time for the baby, Vincent."

He kissed her cheek, wishing that he could promise her that, but if things worked out to where he couldn't, he didn't want to make such a vow.

The fact that he didn't reply broke her heart. "Vincent, you can't miss the birth of your baby!"

"I don't want to, and I have every intention of being back for that, but we really don't know what's going to happen with this whole Jaras thing, Tifa." Vincent never made promises he didn't know he could keep.

"I see." Tifa sighed heavily. "I'm not trying to piss you off, Vincent, but do you really think you're physically up to something like this? Remember how horrible it was to face Hojo? Who knows what sort of nut job Shinra has working for them now. I know you don't want to admit it to yourself, but you're not like you used to be."

His arm fell away from her shoulders and his dark eyes narrowed. She'd just hit him where it hurt. Without another word, he got up from the bed and strode from the room. Physical short comings or not, he thoroughly believed himself to be the most qualified man for the mission.

Tifa watched him retreat, knowing that she'd crossed a certain line with him. Vincent was very sensitive about his condition and she knew better than to address it with him. Within a few seconds, she heard the front door to the house slam. Vincent had apparently left. When he was truly angry, he usually did.

She got up and went to check in on Aaron, making sure that'd he had slept though the small fight. Tifa admired her son for that-- he would sleep through anything. After sitting carefully on the edge of his small bed, she stared down at him in the dim light.

There were no surviving pictures of Vincent as a child, but if Tifa had seen one, she would have appreciated the fact that when he was Aaron's age, he had once looked just like the boy. Aaron's hair was the same jet-black color, and his eyes were of the same dark hue. He was a thin boy, but seemed to be taller than all of his friends of his same age. Generally, he was a quiet kid, good at entertaining himself. There were times where Tifa wouldn't hear him for hours at a time as he carried on silently with his activities. Unlike most six-year-olds, he had a knack for slinking around the house without a sound, and Tifa was started several times a day when he would just seem to appear behind her, whispering some small request in her ear. This sort of behavior, unfortunately, had earned him a reputation with the other kids in the area of being 'spooky'.

She heard something behind her several minutes later and turned, seeing that Vincent had slipped back into the house at some point and was leaning in the doorway to Aaron's room. His arms were crossed over his chest and his expression was blank.

Tifa dropped her gaze away from him, embarrassed for having hurt his pride before.

He remained as he was for a while in silence, staring at her. Vincent may have loved Tifa for all he was worth, but their marriage hadn't been an easy one. The woman had a temper, and he was far too stubborn. This had made for a lot of turmoil over the years. Since the seizures had become an issue for him, he'd run away from most arguments, disappearing for hours at a time. Although she didn't know it, during his retreats over the last several years, he had been running off to the small bar that was one of the few other buildings out in the countryside near their home. Vincent wasn't proud of the fact that he had once more resorted to drinking as he used to do as both a Turk and during his time with AVALANCHE, but old habits die-hard. At least he made it a point never to come home drunk, not wanting to expose his son to his vice. He hadn't made it to the bar tonight.

Tifa eventually rose up from Aaron's bed and went over, leaving the room and brushing past Vincent. She went out to the family room and landed on the couch. Vincent soon followed and sat in a recliner opposite to her, continuing to stare at her.

Not being a fan of the silent glaring that he tended to do when something was bothering him, Tifa decided to break the quiet. "I'm sorry."

His eyes narrowed for just a second, but he said nothing. Part of Vincent figured that anything he said would just set them off again.

"I…I know you have to go help Jaras. I just don't want you running into something, though, that you're not ready for. Like it or not, you _are_ different than you used to be. I'm not saying that to make you mad or hurt your feelings, I'm saying it because it's true." She met his gaze finally.

"I'm aware of my limitations," he said, sounding more like the Vincent of fourteen years back that the man she'd come to know.

"You're going, I know that. There's nothing I can do to convince you to do otherwise. I'm not happy about it, and you know that, and you know _why_. I think you should let ASRIO take care of the situation. That's the whole deal in a nut shell, so I guess we can change the subject now," she said quietly.

"Fine."

Tifa held her tongue as she fought the urge to launch back into him. The fact that she was pregnant and far enough along to be completely miserable wasn't helping her keep her composure. "It's getting late. I know neither of us are going to get any sleep, but I think we should turn in."

Vincent got up from his seat and strode back to their bedroom.

She sat on the couch alone for a few moments, agonizing over the problem at hand. The only good thing that was going to come of this was the fact that she was going to see Cid. The pilot hadn't been over to visit since right about the time she'd gotten pregnant with the baby she was now carrying. It had been far too long. She knew that the two of them had a lot of things to talk about. There were things that the two of them needed to discuss without Vincent around. Tifa had spent hours on the phone with him discussing his situation with Jin, but talking to him in person was always far better. When the two of them were alone, he was much more open, and there was something _very_ important that she had to discuss with him. They needed to deal with what had happened the last time they had been together.

Finally, she retreated to the bedroom, finding that Vincent had gone in to take a shower. Feeling the need to make some sort of gesture to him, she stripped and headed into the bathroom. On the way, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and stopped for a second. This far along in her pregnancy, she thought it ridiculous that Vincent could still find something attractive about her body, but thus far, he hadn't been put off. Then again, he usually wasn't as mad as he'd seemed tonight.

She went and stood outside the shower's glass doors for a moment, watching him moving within. He seemed oblivious to the fact that she was there, but Tifa knew better. Vincent was never oblivious of the things around him. After a few seconds, he slid one of the doors open and looked at her standing there unclothed. Vincent cocked an eyebrow at her. "Are you coming in?"

Tifa forced a fleeting smile and stepped in. The water hit her and was a little hot for her liking, but that's how Vincent always ran it. He didn't seem happy until his skin was red from the hot water. He quickly stepped between the water and her, letting it hit him in the back. Vincent stared down into her eyes, his face still betraying no emotion.

Tifa reached up and grabbed one of his long tresses. He'd let his hair grow back to its pre-surgical length, knowing that she had liked it that way. Pulling on an errant bit of his hair like this had been the first physical contact that she had ever made with him, so many years ago on the airship that AVALANCHE had stolen. It made him smile.

Finally seeing a break in his facade, Tifa felt herself produce the first sincere grin she'd displayed in a while. "I was wondering when you were going to come back."

His smile didn't fade. "I'm sorry. I'm just really worried about Jaras."

"I know, it's okay." Tifa put her arms around him and pulled him close. She had to lean forward awkwardly in order to do this, since her presently pregnant form got between them.

Vincent pulled back from her embrace and placed his hands upon the sides of her belly, feeling that the baby was moving within. "It's kicking a lot these days."

She was all too aware of that fact and giggled. "Tell me about it."

He let his hands linger upon Tifa, fascinated that there was a baby within her. During her first pregnancy, he'd almost been afraid to touch her, but this time he had taken far more interest in what was going on with her. Perhaps it was the fact that he'd gotten more comfortable with the situation since the first pregnancy and baby had come out fine, despite the paranoia he'd suffered during the nine months leading up to Aaron's birth. In the back of his mind, there had always been that tiny fragment of doubt that all Hojo had done to him had been corrected, and that the baby would be born with something wrong. He'd been plagued with nightmares about the baby being born more like Chaos than a human. But that hadn't happened. This child would be just as perfect, of that he was certain. Something within him broke, and he looked into her eyes. "I promise that I'll be back before you have this baby, Tifa."

"But what if you don't get Jaras in that time?" She was a realist, and knew that these sorts of things with ASRIO didn't always happen quickly, especially now that Reno was running the show.

"I won't stay away for more than four weeks." Vincent slid his hands to slightly different positions. "You should still have a week or two to go at that point, and I'll be around."

__

A compromise? Vincent Valentine is actually making a compromise? Tifa thought to herself. This was completely out of character for him. "But what if--"

He cut her off by placing a finger over her lips. "I will come back in four weeks, whether we have him or not. I won't abandon you when you need me, Tifa. Besides, if we don't have Jaras back within that time, then…"

"Then what?" she asked, pulling his hand away from her mouth.

"Then we might as well write him off." Vincent tried to ignore the sting that came to his eyes as he forced these words out. "They will have either killed him or changed him after that long."

Tifa didn't know how to respond to that. Somehow, it seemed that Vincent had an idea of what Shinra had in store for his son.

The only reason the company would want him back would be to try and either dissect him to study, or to make him back into what he had once been. If they brought him back to his Sephiroth self, then he would be lost to Vincent. Over the last six years, Vincent had given plenty of thought to this, and being keenly aware of how Shinra worked, there was no doubt in his mind over what they intended for his son.

Vincent didn't want to dwell on this for the moment. There was a way for him to forget all of this for at least a while, and he opted to lose himself in Tifa for the time being. He leaned forward and let his lips meet hers.

Tifa quickly submitted to him, knowing that she needed this momentary escape just as much as he. After a while, they left the shower and made their way to the bed. Vincent made love to her like she was made out of glass and easily broken. He had been afraid on some level of hurting her when she was pregnant, even though the doctors had assured him that he wouldn't.

Even though he gave up forcefulness in favor of slow caution, Tifa still couldn't complain about his level of performance. When it came to her physical relationship with Vincent, it was the one area where she had never been let down.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Jaras felt the van come to a stop and he heard the doors opening. Although he had no real appreciation of what time it could be, he was fairly certain that it was late at night. At the very least, he felt like he'd been lying in that horribly uncomfortable position for five or six hours.

The SOLDIER that had scared him earlier by his lewd tone again spoke right into Jaras' ear. "We're stopping for the night. When we pull you out of this van, your going to be cooperative and silent. One sound out of you and you'll regret it, you got me?"

Jaras just nodded as best he could in his current position, indicating that he wasn't about to do anything to make this man upset. Soon, he felt himself pulled from the van's floor. As the stress was finally taken off of his shoulders and arms, the pain that shot through him was excruciating. He clenched his teeth to prevent himself from making any sort of sound. Jaras felt himself carried by several men from the van and into some sort of room. From the smell within, he knew that they had just brought him into some sort of cheap motel. Apparently, they were spending the night here.

Instead of finding himself placed onto a bed as he would have hoped, Jaras felt himself dropped onto the floor. They had put him down on his stomach, which was at least a change from being on his back.

The SOLDIERs began to speak. He heard the leader' voice. "Okay, we've got two rooms here. I'm staying in this one with the prisoner and Hatley. You and Gorrin take the other."

Jaras listened as he heard some movement around him and then the door to the room opened, closed, and locked.

"So, we gonna have some fun with this one?" the man staying with the leader in the room asked. To Jaras' horror, it was the man who'd spoken to him on the van.

The leader laughed cruelly. "Hell yeah, why do you think I got another room for the guys?"

Jaras whimpered despite himself. His stomach knotted painfully and he felt like he was going to throw up-- of course, that's the last thing he wanted to do while gagged as it were.

The two SOLDIERs came to Jaras and maneuvered him over to one of the beds and threw him over the edge of it, his knees resting on the floor. He began to shake again in his fear over what was going on, and it seemed to excite them.

"Fucking Sephiroth… this is great!" Hatley laughed, placing the muzzle of his sidearm against the back of Jaras' neck, making sure that he stayed in the position they'd put him in.

Jaras felt the cold metal dig into the back of his neck. He felt the other SOLDIER move behind him and reach around him. His jeans were being undone and he couldn't help himself from trying to say something to get them to stop, but all he got out was a muffled groan through the fabric that'd been crammed in his mouth.

"I said for you to not make any noise!" Hatley growled, shoving the gun against his neck harder.

The other man finally got the waist to Jaras' pants undone and pulled on them, exposing him. "Bet he's a fuckin' virgin."

Hatley laughed. "Not for long he ain't."

"You got that gun oil in your pack?" the leader asked of the other man.

"Yeah."

Jaras heard the zipper of a pack being undone. He knew exactly what was about to happen to him, and for a moment, he actually wished that he were still Sephiroth. No one would have been able to do something like this to him back then. They would have found themselves dead for the mere thought.

-------------------

It was only about five in the morning when Cid fired up the engines of his plane. His normal routine would have precluded him from getting out of bed until six, but he'd been up all night and had just given up and decided to head to Tifa and Vincent's house early.

He glanced over at his seven-year-old son and smiled. "Alright, you ready?"

The kid was sitting in the copilot's seat, and had the control stick in his hands. "Yes, Sir."

Cid motioned toward the end of the runway. "Well, get on with it, then."

L.C. smiled at his father, his blue eyes gleaming, and guided the plane down the runway. Cid had been letting the boy fly a little at a time since he'd only been five. Now, at seven, L.C. was more than capable of handling the entire flight from Rocket to the outskirts of Kalm with no problems. Within a few short seconds, they were in the air.

Cid looked over at his boy approvingly. Being rocked by the plane's gentle vibrations, he felt his sleeplessness catch up with him. "You think you can handle this if I try and get some rest?"

"Hell yeah," the boy replied, sounding an awful lot like his father. "Take a nap, old man."

"Good enough." Cid settled back in his seat and dozed off. He had no doubts in his son's ability to fly the plane while he slept. His boy was just like him.

-------------------

Tifa was standing in the kitchen, going through the motions of washing the breakfast dishes, but not really putting any thought into it. Cid would arrive soon, and the anxiety within her was growing. It had been seven and a half months since she'd seen her old friend. Rarely had that much time passed between his visits, but this time there'd been good reason. While he and Tifa were willing to talk on the phone, they hadn't been able to bring themselves to face each other. Now, they were being forced to do so. Vincent had possessed nothing but good intentions in asking the pilot to look after his wife while he went to ASRIO. He had no idea of the tension that had settled between Tifa and Cid. They had kept the secret from him well enough.

As she sat the last cleaned plate in the drying rack and turned off the faucet, she heard the unmistakable drone of a plane's engines overhead. Tifa closed her eyes and sighed. There would be no more avoiding the inevitable now.

Vincent looked up from the book he'd been reading at the table and glanced over at his wife. "That's him."

"I know."

Vincent narrowed his eyes. Generally, when Cid had come by in the past, she'd run out the door to greet him before the plane hit the ground. This time, though, she was just remaining before the sink, her posture one of distress. "Tifa? Is something wrong?"

Realizing that he was seeing right through her, she did her best to pull off her usual happy air. "I'm just tired from being pregnant, that's all."

Vincent decided to take this answer at face value. She'd been miserable during the last two months of her previous pregnancy and this one was shaping up to be about the same. He closed his book and stood up. "Come on, let's go see him."

Tifa forced a smile and took his hand, letting him lead her from the house.

-------------------

The plane made a somewhat rough landing, bouncing twice before sticking. Cid looked over at his son with a cocked eyebrow. "I taught you better than that, kid."

The boy rolled his eyes. "I'm landing in a crosswind, Dad. Give me a break."

He reached over and mussed his son's disheveled blond hair for a moment. "I'm just messing with 'ya. You did good."

L.C. brought the plane to a stop and cut the engines. "I know. I'm the best there's ever been."

"Only after I'm dead," Cid said, the morbidity of his words only hitting him afterward. The smile he'd been wearing at once faded.

"Dad?" L.C. asked, not accustomed to seeing his father look so down. "Something wrong?"

"Naw." Cid unhooked his seatbelt and got up. "Let's go."

They picked up their bags and opened the door on the side of the plane. L.C. ran out first, spotting Aaron standing shyly behind his parents. The two boys quickly made their way back to the house. They both had certain social inadequacies that tended to get them ridiculed by other kids, but the two of them got along with one another as best friends.

Cid then disembarked. He kept his gaze on the ground as he approached Vincent and Tifa. He was too ashamed to look Vincent in the eyes as he neared him. "Hey."

Vincent could tell that there was something profoundly wrong with Cid. In fact, the way both his wife and the pilot seemed to ignore each other for the moment worried him to some extent. Then again, Tifa was under a lot of stress at the moment, and Cid had already sounded disturbed last night when he'd spoken to him. "I'm glad you came."

"Sure." Cid shifted his pack from one shoulder to the other, finally looking over at Tifa. He examined her for a moment. "You doing all right?"

She just nodded.

"Okay." Cid walked between them and toward the house. He wanted to go throw his stuff in the guestroom.

Vincent looked over at his wife. "Is there something going on that I should know about?"

Tifa shook her head and forced a smile. "I think we're all just worried about Jaras, Vincent."

He narrowed his eyes. While he and Tifa may have been worried about Jaras, he wasn't exactly sure that his son's plight would bother the pilot so much. "Right."

Without another word, Tifa turned toward the house and started walking. Vincent wasn't stupid, and if she didn't get her attitude under control quickly, he was going to figure things out for himself. That was the last thing she needed at the moment.

Vincent followed her. It seemed that everyone was miserable, including himself. Why things could never be simple he didn't know.

Once inside, Cid tossed his things onto the guest bed and then went back to the family room. He landed on the couch, staring at the floor before him. Tifa and Vincent entered the room. Tifa sat next to Cid and Vincent went over to his chair.

"So, they got Jaras, huh?" Cid asked, knowing that Vincent was trying to see into him.

"Yeah." Vincent settled back in his seat. "I'm hoping we can get him back soon enough."

Cid nodded and finally brought himself to meet the other man's gaze. "I'm sorry that it happened, guy."

Vincent shrugged. "Well, it's not as though it was completely unexpected. Like Tseng had told Jaras seven years back, sooner or later someone was bound to recognize him for who he was."

The mention of Vincent's dead brother sent a chill down Cid's spine. "Sure."

"I didn't want to leave Tifa here by herself, being thirty-four weeks and all," Vincent said, wanting to get his mind off of Jaras.

Cid perked to attention and narrowed his eyes. He turned to Tifa. "_Thirty-four_?"

She instantly flushed red and stammered, "Y…yes."

The pilot leaned back into the cushions of the couch and continued to stare at her, some color coming to his own cheeks.

Vincent knit his brow for a second before excusing himself from the room. He'd forgotten his manners and knew that he should have offered Cid a drink. After he went to check on the boys, he'd go to the kitchen and get some tea on.

Now alone, Cid tensed his jaw for a moment before speaking. "Thirty-four weeks? You want to explain that one to me? You told me last week that it was only thirty-one, which was right in line with your story all along. I'm guessing that you haven't exactly been tellin' me the truth."

Embarrassed to have been caught in a lie, Tifa's anxiety got worse. "I didn't want you to worry about it, Cid."

"Well, it's sorta been in the back of my mind the whole time anyway, Tif. I know you said you got pregnant several weeks later, but I've still wondered." Cid crossed his arms over his chest.

Tifa closed her eyes and sighed. Seven and a half months ago, Vincent had left town to go spend some time with Angel. While he was away, Cid had come by to keep her company. While the two of them had always had a tendency to cling to each other a little too much, nothing had ever really happened until that last time.

-------------------

It had been late at night and Cid had gotten up to go get a drink, finding Tifa sitting at the kitchen table. She had been upset about something, and he sat beside her.

"Tifa, what's wrong?" he asked.

She looked at him with tear dimmed eyes. "Sometimes, I can't remember why I married him, Cid."

Being well aware of the fact that Vincent and Tifa had argued often, he quickly realized that Vincent and her must have gotten into it right before he'd left. Unfortunately, due to the seven beers he'd had earlier, he spoke honestly. "I wish you hadn't."

She looked up at him. "Really?"

"Yeah," Cid admitted, flushing immediately.

"Why? You still have issues with him after all this time?"

"No." Cid moved closer to her and put his arm around her. "I wish you hadn't married him because things would have been a lot simpler for me."

Her eyes narrowed at this statement and she leaned just slightly closer to him. "What do you mean?"

"Tifa, you know I've been in love with you for a long time." He looked away. "I loved you when I was married to Shera, I loved you when you married Vincent, and I've loved you all this time I've been seeing Jin."

She was speechless. Tifa had always possessed feelings for the pilot as well, but since he'd always adamantly denied any sort of serious desire for her, she'd kept it under wraps. Now things were more complicated and she had found herself wishing that she'd ended up with Cid instead.

He saw the change in her expression and leaned toward her, until their lips met.

They both gave into it, having kept their mutual feelings about one another bottled for fourteen years. Cid moved from the chair he was sitting in and knelt beside hers. Tifa, meanwhile, had turned in her seat to face him straight on, so he was now kneeling between her knees as their lips continued to linger against each other's.

Cid ran a hand up her right leg, quickly realizing that she was wearing the nightshirt and nothing else. With the alcohol in his system, he hadn't possessed the ability to stop himself from what happened next.

Tifa let her hands trail against his body, and she soon knew that he was aroused. When his lips momentarily broke away from hers so that his mouth could go on to explore the contours of her neck, she whispered, "Cid, you can, if you want."

There was no way he could refuse in his current condition. Within a flash, he reached down and freed himself from his boxers, driving into her without hesitation.

Tifa gasped, not really believing that he had given in. She closed her eyes as he thrust at her for several minutes before putting her hands on his shoulders and pushing him back. "No… oh God, Cid? What are we doing?"

Embarrassed, he got his boxers back up and moved over to the chair he'd been in before. He couldn't believe what had just happened, but he ached with the fact that it had not gotten finished. Since they'd already started, he saw no good reason now why they shouldn't see it to the end. "Tifa…"

"Cid, we can't!" Tears had come to her eyes.

"I may be wrong here, Tifa, but I think we already did." He leaned toward her again, hoping that she would let him get back to it. His level of arousal was beyond painful now-- the few minutes he'd been inside her doing no more than making him worse off.

"Vincent…" she said to herself, covering her face with her hands.

"No, Tifa, don't get like that. This is all my fault. I shouldn't have said what I said, and I sure as hell should have known better than to touch you," Cid replied, giving into the realization that he wasn't going to finish the act with Tifa, now or ever.

-------------------

Cid coughed, bringing Tifa out of the memory of their brief encounter. She looked into his eyes, seeing the question that was there. "It's not yours, if that's what you're wondering."

Since he hadn't finished the night they were together, he figured that the chances that it was were pretty slim, but then again, it wasn't beyond the realm of possibility. "How can you be so sure? Were you and Vincent actually trying for this one?"

"No," she said quietly, not knowing when Vincent was going to return to the room. "I'd stopped taking birth control since I did want another kid, but he'd taken to using protection, since he wasn't big on the idea."

Cid scowled. "What happens when you push that kid out and it's blond like me, Tifa? Don't you think he's going to be a little suspicious?"

Further discussion of the subject was cut short when Vincent returned, balancing three cups of tea in his hands. He glanced between his wife and the pilot as he handed them their cups, seeing that whatever they had been talking about had been serious. "Should I come back later?"

Tifa forced a pathetic smile. "Don't be silly."

He gave them a dubious expression before taking his teacup and moving back toward his chair again. Sometimes, he hated the fact that Tifa and Cid seemed to have things going on between them that he wasn't a part of. Whenever the pilot was around, Vincent generally felt as though he was the odd man out.

Cid took a sip of the tea that Vincent had offered him and immediately made a face. "Damn strong tea you make, Sunshine."

Vincent smiled faintly. "That's because it's real, unlike that crap you buy at the store. It's from Wutai."

The pilot set his cup down on the coffee table, not sure that he could stand what Vincent had given him.

Tifa, in the meanwhile, continued to sip at hers, used to the tea after living with Vincent for so long.

"So, is there any sort of plan for getting Jaras back, or are you just going with Reno's usual smash and grab?" Cid asked, feeling a need to keep the conversation going.

"We don't even know where he is at the moment." Vincent swirled his drink. "Hopefully, it won't be long before ASRIO gets his position."

Cid considered this for a moment. "I see."

"I promised Tifa that I'd be back in four weeks, regardless," Vincent said quietly.

"He don't want to miss the birth of your kid, huh?" Cid shot toward Tifa, with a little more edge to it than he had intended.

Vincent knit his brow at looked over at his friend. Whatever it was that was going on with Cid and Tifa, he'd had enough. He finished his tea, ignoring the fact that he burned his tongue by swallowing it too quickly. After, he set the cup down and locked gazes with Tifa. "You two tell me what's going on right now. I'm not stupid. The both of you have been acting strangely."

Cid looked over at Tifa. He didn't know what he was supposed to do. "Tif?"

With Vincent calling them on it, she couldn't keep up the lie anymore. Her composure broke and she covered her face with her hands. "Damn it…"

Vincent felt his heart accelerate. Something was very uncomfortable in the air and he turned to Cid for answers. "What in the hell is going on?"

Cid got up from the couch and took a few steps forward. "Come on, Sue, we need to go talk."

Vincent got up, feeling himself begin to shake as he did so. The expression that the pilot wore was cutting through him and he was getting scared.

Cid stepped out of the house and onto the front porch, Vincent following him silently. Tifa remained on the couch in the house, knowing that she would be of no help as the truth was revealed to her husband.

Cid sat on the porch railing and faced Vincent. "Okay, I just want to tell you right off the bat that I like you, Vincent. I really do, and that I'm aware that what I'm about to say is going to end our friendship."

Vincent leaned back against the wall of the house, feeling sick. "Just tell me."

Cid sighed heavily and looked out over the front yard. "You know I like Tifa."

"You don't like Tifa, Cid, you love her and have for years," Vincent corrected, having been aware of this from the outset, but never having been threatened by it.

"Yeah," the pilot shifted and went on, "well, I sorta let my feelings get the better of me the last time I was here."

Vincent narrowed his eyes. "What?"

"It's not something that I planned or anything, it just sort of happened."

"What happened?" Vincent clenched his fists, needing to know exactly what the pilot was trying to convey.

"Tifa and I…" Cid forced himself to look at Vincent. He realized that there was a good chance the former Turk would kill him in the next few minutes. "I, uh, sort of was with her."

Vincent stopped breathing, hoping that he was misunderstanding the situation. "You had an affair with my wife?"

"Not really an affair, Sue." Cid dropped his gaze away. "The whole thing lasted maybe five minutes before she told me to stop. Hell, I didn't--" He stopped himself, realizing that the knowledge of whether or not he'd come or not during the event wasn't going to help Vincent on any level.

Vincent pulled back his lips slightly, baring his teeth, but continued to otherwise remain perfectly still. He couldn't believe what he'd just been told. "You…you fucked my wife?"

Cid continued to look away. "More or less, yeah."

The irony that he now found himself in the position that he'd imposed upon Hojo well over forty years back didn't go unnoticed. He realized that the time frame of Cid's last visit and Tifa's onset of pregnancy had been awfully close. Vincent hadn't wanted another child, and had taken steps to try and ensure that Tifa wouldn't get pregnant. When she'd announced that she was, however, he'd thought it strange that she'd conceived, but had just racked it up to the fact that birth control wasn't one hundred percent effective. "It's your baby?"

"I don't know." Cid slipped his jacket off, growing hot in his embarrassment. "It shouldn't be. I didn't get to finish if you know what I mean, so it's probably yours."

Vincent tightened his fists, feeling his nails dig into his palms. An old, familiar urge was rearing up within him. "How could you? I trusted you to be with her when I wasn't around, Cid."

The pilot was silent. He wasn't proud of it in the least.

Vincent couldn't hold himself back and he charged Cid, knocking him from the railing and out onto the lawn. He stood on the porch, glaring down where Cid had landed.

With the wind knocked out of him from the fall, Cid lay there staring up at the sky for several moments. He watched as Vincent hopped over the railing and came beside him. He looked up at the man looming over him. "I'm sorry, Vincent."

That wasn't enough, nothing would be enough. Vincent hauled off and kicked Cid in the side as hard as he could, cracking one of the pilot's ribs.

Back in the house, Tifa heard Cid cry out when Vincent had kicked him and she flew up from the couch and ran outside, seeing the two men fighting.

Cid had struggled up to his feet, despite the horrible pain in his chest. At forty-six years of age and with a medical condition to boot, his movements were sluggish. He swung out at Vincent, just missing him.

"I'm going to kill you, Cid," Vincent growled as he dodged the blow.

"So I sorta figured," the pilot retorted, realizing that he was no match for the other man.

Tifa stood on the porch, not knowing what to do. "Stop it!"

Vincent disregarded his wife, not being particularly thrilled with her at the moment, either. He struck out at Cid, nailing him square in the jaw, sending the pilot back down onto the lawn.

Cid struggled to try and get up, tasting blood in his mouth. He saw Vincent preparing to pin him down and finish him off, and he kicked up as hard as he could with his left leg, connecting with Vincent's chest, throwing him back and away.

Tifa ran off the porch and to where Vincent had landed, gasping for air. "Vincent, stop this!"

He attempted to get up, but wouldn't be able to until he caught his breath. There were questions that he needed to ask her, but they could wait until Cid was taken care of.

Not knowing what else to do, Tifa pushed him flat onto his back, opting to not let him up. Even pregnant, she was still a strong woman and holding him down when the wind had been knocked from him wasn't all that hard. "I said stop it!"

Cid, in the meanwhile, managed to get up, holding his side where Vincent had initially kicked him. He looked over to the porch, seeing that at some point, L.C. and Aaron had emerged. "Shit."

The two boys stood together, staring at the scene. L.C., looking just like Cid, and Aaron, exactly like Vincent. They had no idea why their fathers were fighting, and they were scared. They had their arms around each other, trying to provide some comfort for one another in their fear.

Tifa and Vincent also looked over, seeing that they kids were there. Instantly, everyone regretted the situation that much more. It would be these two boys that would suffer the most for what had happened. Children always bore the greatest burden for the actions of their parents.

Cid looked away from the kids, hanging his head. "What have I done?"

Vincent moved his gaze back to the pilot. His anger hadn't disappeared, but for the moment it was having to share center stage with shame and disappointment. Although he wasn't aware of it, his right arm started to draw up over his chest.

Tifa saw this movement and her eyes grew wide. "Vincent? Are you okay?"

His attempt at a response was cut off as he felt the all too familiar sensation of a seizure coming on.

She looked back over toward where the boys were still standing. If nothing else, she didn't want the kids to watch what was about to happen. "Aaron, take L.C. inside, okay?"

They didn't move, still too shocked from watching the earlier fight.

"Do it!" Tifa shouted, knowing that it wouldn't be long before Vincent's attack came on.

The kids grudgingly complied, retreating back into the house and locking themselves in Aaron's room.

With them gone, Tifa turned her attention back to her husband. She put her hands on his shoulders, pushing him down onto the lawn in a vain attempt to hold him in place once the seizure started. His eyes were growing distant as he felt conscious control of his body slip away. Vincent's legs kicked out and quickly his whole body was enveloped by a grand mal.

Hearing the choked and animalistic sounds coming from Vincent, Cid looked over. He was confused for a moment, until he realized what was going on. Quickly, he went over to Tifa's side, seeing that she was in no shape to hold Vincent down as he flailed madly. He did his best to get his hands on Vincent as well, and he looked to Tifa for an answer. "What the fuck is wrong with him?"

Through her clenched teeth, she replied, "He gets seizures, Cid."

The pilot had never been aware of this, as Vincent had insisted that no one ever be told of his problems. "Shit, I didn't know."

"No one did but me." Tifa did her best to keep Vincent from hurting himself as he continued to spasm.

Cid remembered seeing Vincent have drug induced fits way back when, and wondered how long this was going to go on. "How long 'til he knocks this the hell off?"

"Sometimes it lasts for a few minutes." Tifa, seeing that Cid was doing more of the restraining than her, bent down to get closer to Vincent's face. "Come on, Vincent, it's okay."

He couldn't hear her at the moment. The one merciful thing about his seizures was that he was left with no memory of them. His body's convulsions seemed to be weakening.

Feeling that he was on the down side of the attack, Tifa stroked his hair. "That's good, just calm down."

Cid watched as she tried to reach out to him. Even with all that had transpired, he could see that she did love Vincent, as it was obvious in the way she handled him.

Vincent's eyes came back to stare forward, and he became aware of Tifa speaking softly to him.

"There, you're fine, Vincent." Tifa moved her other hand to rest against his cheek. "Look at me."

He complied.

She looked over at Cid. "You can let go of him now."

The pilot backed off, not sure that he wanted Vincent to realize that he'd been touching him. He sat on the lawn at Vincent's side, not willing to go too far in case his episode wasn't truly over. "Is he okay?"

Tifa smiled, looking down into Vincent's tired eyes. "He's okay now."

Vincent, now feeling in control, sat up. He met Tifa's gaze for a moment, but when he felt tears in his eyes, he hurriedly got up and went back into the house.

Tifa was left with Cid again. "Are you okay?"

He lied. "Yeah, I'm all right."

Tifa got up to her feet, resting her hands upon her stomach. "I should probably go talk to him."

Cid got up as well, grabbing her by the arm as she started to walk past. "Tifa, you don't think there's any chance that he's going to hurt you, right?"

No matter how bad their arguments had gotten over the years, the one thing she had never feared since the disappearance of Chaos was Vincent becoming physically violent toward her. "He's never hit me, Cid."

"He's never been this upset, I'd bet."

"Vincent wouldn't hurt me." Tifa gently pulled her arm from Cid's grasp. "I'm not even remotely fearful of that. I'll go get him and he and I can go talk somewhere. You can stay with the boys and make sure that they're okay, right?"

Cid knew that he needed to try and reassure the kids that everything was fine. Whether or not he and Vincent couldn't bear each other's presence any longer, the boys were best friends and they needed to know that they weren't going to be forced apart. "Sure thing."

Tifa smiled at him faintly and went back into the house. She found Vincent sitting on the bed in their room. After going inside, she closed and locked the door.

Vincent was sitting there, his head in his hands. The heaving of his shoulders and the sounds he was producing betrayed the fact that he was crying. Tifa hadn't seen him do this in six years and it tore her up. "Vincent?"

Not able to get a grip on himself, he just continued to break down. The knowledge that Tifa would cheat had emotionally destroyed him. Never would he have thought she would do such a thing. Then again, he had always known that she and the pilot were close, in some ways _too_ close, but both Cid and Tifa had reassured him time and again that it was just friendship. He'd believed them. Now, Vincent admonished himself for having trusted them. His love of Tifa had made him blind and he hated it. Vincent felt that he should have known better than to trust anyone, especially after the bullshit that Lucrecia had put him through. He should have known better than to have expected a happy ending.

Tifa went over and sat beside him, placing her arm around his shoulders. "Please talk to me."

Vincent wanted to recoil from her touch, but didn't have the strength. "Why…why did you do it?"

Tifa sighed. "I think we should leave the house and talk about this, Vincent. You know, away from the kids. They've been put through enough today."

Vincent nodded weakly and got up from the bed. He strolled over to the door, his posture slouched and his head hung, so his long hair obscured his tear marked face.

Tifa followed him as he grabbed the car keys and exited the house. She got into the passenger seat of the vehicle and rode along in silence as he took them away from the house. Vincent didn't look at her once as they went along, keeping his eyes fixed on the road. Tifa watched him the whole time, seeing that the tears still rolled down his cheeks during trip. Ten minutes later, they were at the bar Vincent had become familiar with.

They exited the car, went in, and took up a dark booth in the corner. Luckily, at this hour, the place was more or less empty.

The waitress came over. "What'll it be?"

Vincent never looked at their server. "Bottle of vodka, one glass."

"And you?"

Tifa placed her hands on her belly. "Just a soda."

"Okay." The waitress went off to get their order.

Vincent kept staring down at the surface of the table. "So, why, Tifa?"

She swallowed hard, knowing that this was going to be awful. "I don't know, it just sort of happened."

"I'm not taking 'I don't know' as an answer," he said coldly.

The waitress set Tifa's soda down, as well as the bottle of vodka and the shot glass before retreating again.

"Vincent, we've had some rough times in our marriage." Tifa wrapped her hands around her glass.

Vincent poured the vodka into his shot glass and downed it. "I'm aware of that fact, and I don't see how screwing Cid could help the situation."

"Well, there have been some times when I've wondered if marrying you was the right thing to do," she confessed quietly.

Vincent quickly got himself another shot, his heart breaking. "Okay."

"We're both sort of touchy people, Vincent. I love you, I do, but sometimes I just get so frustrated with you that I think we make each other miserable more often than not." Tifa took a sip from her drink, her throat threatening to close up.

"If you wanted to split up, Tifa, I would have appreciated you just telling me before you did something like this." Vincent had now downed three drinks.

"But I didn't want to split up. I already have one failed marriage under my belt, Vincent. I didn't want two." Her shoulders drooped.

"If you didn't want to split up, then why did you cheat on me? That's not the sort of thing that a wife generally does when she wants to stand by her husband." Vincent felt the warmth of the alcohol wash over him, making it momentarily easier to keep from crying.

"It's not like that, Vincent. It was an accident."

He cocked an eyebrow. "An accident? Tifa, don't try and make it sound like the guy was walking across the room and tripped, accidentally ending up with his cock--"

Tifa slammed her hand down onto the table, cutting him off. "Vincent, stop it!"

"I wish you could have told Cid the same thing thirty four weeks ago," he shot back, his voice more of a growl.

"Do you really want to talk about it, or are you going to sit here and just berate and mock me, Vincent? Because if that's all this is going to boil down to, then we don't have a chance." Tifa leaned closer to him, wanting him to get the point across.

He knit his brow and looked down at his empty glass. "Then tell me what really happened, Tifa."

"Okay." She took another sip, going back in her mind to that night. "It was when you left for your annual trip with Angel to Wutai."

Vincent nodded. He and Angel had begun a tradition, or rather, his daughter had forced him into one, of the two of them going to Wutai once a year as some sort of father-daughter bonding thing. "So I figured."

"Right before you left, we'd had another argument."

This, too, was something he was aware of. "I know."

"Well, I was really upset about it. Cid had come by with L.C. to stay for a few days. We hung out all day like we usually do, and then after the kids went to bed, we had a few beers. Afterward, we went to bed for the night, except I couldn't go sleep, since I was still thinking about our argument." She grabbed one of the small napkins that had been placed on the table and started to fidget with it.

The fact that their little tiff before he'd left had disturbed her that much made him frown. "You were that upset about it?"

She met his gaze. "The fact that you'd scoffed as you'd walked out the door, telling me that I was stupid for wanting to bring another kid into our quote 'fucked up relationship', was what was getting to me."

Suddenly, the entire argument came back. She had asked him the night before not to resort to using a condom when they'd made love, setting him off. Although he had been aware that she desperately wanted another baby, he hadn't been willing to comply. He hadn't felt that they should be bringing another child into the mix considering how things had been going between them. His off handed remark as he'd departed hadn't been something he'd dwelt upon. The fact that it had hurt her that much bit something within him. He had been a jerk to her, and had ended up getting what he'd deserved.

Tifa could tell by the change in his posture that he regretted his comment. "Anyway, I got up and was sitting in the kitchen. A little while later, Cid came in as well, wanting a drink or something. We started talking, since he could see that I was upset. Cid asked me what was wrong, and I told him. I said that sometimes I wondered if marrying you had been the right thing to do. Maybe it was the alcohol that was still in his system, but he sat there and told me flat out that he wished I hadn't."

The fact that they had said these things to one another behind his back hurt, but again, he felt that he'd earned it by what he had said while leaving. "And?"

"Well, then he kissed me." Tifa had, by now, shredded the napkin in her grasp. "He got out of his chair and knelt before me."

Vincent just nodded. He didn't want to hear this, but knew that he had to. His grip was tightening around the shot glass, and he found himself compelled to fill it again.

"As I sat in the kitchen chair with him there before me, it just sort of happened." Tifa wiped the tears away from her eyes.

"I doubt he just did it without you giving him explicit permission first, Tifa." Vincent gave up on the shot glass and just took the bottle into his hands, taking a large hit from it.

She nodded. "You're right. I told him he could."

With his suspicion confirmed, he felt his bottom lip quiver. He tried to steel himself beyond crying anymore, but was losing the fight.

"But after just a few minutes, I forced him away. I'd started thinking about you, and couldn't let it continue." Tifa threw the fragments of paper in her hands onto the center of the table.

The fact that she'd stopped it only after it had begun was of little comfort to Vincent. He took one more sizable swig from the bottle, before replacing its cap and setting it on the edge of the table. "And that's it?"

"Yeah." She looked at him, searching for any sign.

He had managed to push back the tears again, and he narrowed his eyes. "Would you rather be with Cid?"

"I've thought about it, Vincent. I'm not going to lie." Tifa reached across the table and grabbed one of his hands. "But I love you. I have feelings for Cid, but somehow, I don't think it would work."

"I'd hardly say it's working between us as it is," Vincent sighed, turning his hand in her grip so that he could interlace his fingers with hers. "And is this the real reason why Jin and Cid broke up?"

"As far as I know, he never told her. They were sort of on a break at the time, although it was his guilt about it that made him ask her to marry him a few months later." Tifa gazed at where their hands were touching, relieved by this one small gesture.

Vincent knit his brow, "So now what? If this baby turns out to be Cid's, what then?"

"I don't want you to leave me, Vincent." Tifa held his hand tighter. The thought of losing him was unbearable. "If the baby is his or not, I want to be with you. Like I said, it was a mistake."

"I'd never leave you unless you asked me to, Tifa. You know that. After all the misery I've put you through, I deserved this." Vincent, in his usual way, was now going to twist the situation as to where he was the responsible party. Still, the thought of potentially raising Cid's child bothered him. He thought back to the time before he'd had his surgery, and Tifa and Cid had discussed having children between the two of them if Vincent hadn't been able to get her pregnant. Part of him wondered if that was why Tifa had submitted to Cid, since he'd not been willing to have a second child with her. He knew that on some subconscious level, that this was most likely the answer.

"Would you want me to give the baby up?" Tifa asked, knowing that if it came down to it, she wouldn't be able to.

He shook his head. "You know I could never ask that of you. Tifa, you were attached to that baby from the day you found out you were pregnant. You already love it."

His insight was touching. "I do."

"The question is, how will Cid feel? Will he let you raise the baby with me, or is he going to want it?" Vincent brought his other hand to the table, taking her free hand within it.

"Cid never wanted any more kids, Vincent." She almost smiled. "Besides, he'd offered a long time back to get me pregnant if you couldn't, if you'll recall."

To hear her bring this up confirmed his earlier suspicion. "Is that why you did it? Were you that desperate to have another baby?"

Tifa hung her head, willing to admit the truth. "Yeah, for a moment that's exactly what I was thinking. I know you can't understand it, but when I started to want another baby, the drive to have it…it's not like anything else. It takes over."

Vincent knew what it was like to not be in control of one's self. "It makes plenty of sense, Tifa. I should have talked to you about the whole second baby thing instead of just doing what I did. It's just that I really did think that with as rocky as things had been between us, I wasn't sure that another baby was a good idea. Besides, on some level, I was scared."

"Scared of what?" Tifa asked.

"That the next baby might come out with problems. I mean, I'm aware that the seizures I'm having are from the surgery I underwent, but what if they really were something coming from my genetics? I didn't want to have a kid that could end up with what I have to deal with."

"You never told me that, Vincent." She leaned toward him. "We've got to learn to talk to one another without arguing."

"I know." Vincent was starting to feel the extent of his exhaustion. He was at fault for many of the arguments they'd been having, and he knew why. It wasn't something he was prepared to address quite yet, though.

"Even with that concern, you've seemed fairly confident all along that this baby was going to be just as perfect as Aaron." Tifa studied his expression.

Vincent hung his head. "Because once you actually got pregnant, I just _knew_ that this baby was going to be fine. Whether it's mine or not."

"Did you suspect that it might not be?" she dared to ask.

He shrugged. "No, it never crossed my mind."

"When it's born, we can have a test run to find out for sure, if you want to." Tifa's voice was quiet.

Vincent actually produced a small laugh. "I think it'll be obvious if I'm not the father, Tifa. Cid and me couldn't be more different. If the kid hits the ground with fair hair and blue eyes, then I'll know I have a reason to kill Cid."

The lighter tone to his voice told Tifa that for the time being, they were out of danger of arguing. "Were you really going to kill him earlier?"

"The man had just told me he fucked my wife. How was I supposed to react?" Vincent met her gaze.

The way Vincent referred to the situation didn't sit well with her. "Vincent, can you not say it like that, please?"

"Sorry."

"It's okay. I don't really have a leg to stand on in light of the circumstances." Tifa saw how tired he was beginning to look. "Let's go home, you look wasted. It's still early enough that Cid can get home before nightfall."

Vincent frowned. "No, he doesn't have to go home."

"What?" Tifa was more than surprised to hear this.

"He can stay while I'm gone. I'm going to talk to him before I have to leave, but he can stay. Just promise me, Tifa, that nothing else is going to happen between the two of you again." Vincent's eyes burned with emotion.

Tifa quickly complied. "I swear, Vincent, that nothing will ever happen between Cid and I again."

"Good enough. Let's go home." Vincent took out his wallet, threw enough cash to cover their drinks on the table, and then left. As they went back to the car, he took Tifa's hand into his.

He pulled out his car keys, but Tifa quickly snagged them from his hand. "Hey!"

She shook her head and went to the driver's side of the car. "Sorry, Vincent, but you're not driving after drinking like that. You finished half that bottle."

Sighing, Vincent resigned to her logic and got into the passenger side of the car. When Tifa got in, she moved to put the keys in the ignition, but Vincent reached over and grabbed her arm. He may have drank a lot, but he was still in a fair amount of control.

Tifa looked over at him. "What are you doing?"

"A long time ago, you made me promise you that there wouldn't be anymore secrets between us." He let his hand fall away from her, seeing that she wasn't going to start the vehicle.

She turned to look him straight on. "I know, and I know I blew that."

"No, this isn't about you." Vincent sank back into his seat. "If we're going to try to stay together, we've got to stick by that like we did in the beginning."

Tifa wondered what was on his mind, and reached over, placing a hand on his leg. "What is it?"

"I'm sure you've noticed how I tend to disappear when I'm upset."

"Yeah."

Vincent locked into her gaze, his confession painful. "I've been coming here."

"To this bar?"

"Yes."

Tifa sat there and looked at him. This was news to her. "But it doesn't seem like you have been. I mean, when you come back home, you're never drunk."

"That's why I stay gone so long. I wait for that to pass before returning. Besides, by the time I get back, you're usually asleep and I stay out on the couch so you can't really tell." Vincent frowned. "Back when I was a Turk, I used to do the same thing. I drank all the time. Whenever I got upset about anything, I'd go off alone and do it. I did the same thing back after you found me fourteen years ago. I didn't do it after we got married for a long time, feeling like I had some sort of obligation to control myself and fight it, but once I began having the seizures and started running from our fights, I started drinking again."

She considered him for a moment. "That's how you've been coping?"

"I'd hardly say it's coping, Tifa. It's the reason for a lot more of our arguments than you could possibly know. Sometimes, it's like I try to start something with you, just so I have an excuse." Vincent felt himself flush.

Tifa felt her heart race. "So what are you saying, Vincent?"

"That I'm an alcoholic, Tifa, and…" He couldn't go on. Vincent's disappointment in himself for his vice was too great.

"And you need help?" she asked, feeling the burn of tears in her eyes.

He just nodded, not able to say it.

So now she had an answer. There had been a reason for all the troubled they'd suffered. Tifa actually felt herself smile, despite the news she'd just received.

Vincent caught her expression and cocked his head to the side. He didn't understand why she would be grinning at a time like this. "Is something funny?"

She shook her head. "No, Vincent… We finally can start working on fixing what's wrong between us. If your problem has been the root of some of our issues, then it's something we can get taken care of. I thought over the last few years that maybe you'd started to shut me out and push me away because you didn't love me, but maybe it was just this instead."

"I love you." Vincent donned a strange expression. "Tifa, I never stopped loving you."

"Vincent," Tifa's expression changed, and tears came to her eyes. It had been a long time since he'd told her that and sounded sincere. "I'm so sorry for what happened."

Despite the awkwardness of it, he reached over and embraced her. They both just sat there and cried for several minutes, the reality of what had happened to both of them settling in. Their marriage had almost ended, and for no other reason than the fact that they'd stopped being open to one another.

After a while, they made their way back to the house. Cid was sitting out on the porch, nursing a beer he'd helped himself to. The boys were playing out on the lawn with the old pilot watching over them.

Once the car was parked, Vincent and Tifa emerged. Vincent looked at his wife. "Watch the kids. I'm going to talk to Cid."

She looked worried. "You're not going to fight with him again, right?'

"I don't think he could survive two fights in one day," Vincent said, not really serious.

Tifa smiled. "Okay. Go in the house with him and I'll stay out here with the boys."

He nodded and started over to where Cid was sitting. Vincent was not fond of the feeling within him at the moment, and it showed in his expression.

Cid watched the other man's approach, his ingrained fear of Vincent surfacing. His grip around the bottle in his hands tightened.

Vincent walked right past him, saying quietly, "Come with me."

The pilot got up and followed, wondering what was on Vincent's mind. He looked back over his shoulder at his son and Aaron, sitting on the lawn with Tifa.

Vincent came to a stop in the family room and turned around. Cid stopped about six feet away, well out of Vincent's reach. He took another swig from his bottle before letting it dangle at his side.

Vincent knit his brow and then dropped his gaze to the floor. "So, Tifa told me what exactly happened."

Cid scratched the back of his head. "Yeah."

"I know why she did it, so now I want to know from you." Vincent forced himself to look into Cid's eyes.

"Shit." Cid went over and landed on the couch.

Vincent remained standing. "Tell me, you owe me that much."

Cid nodded and set his bottle down on the coffee table. "You've figured out how I feel about Tifa."

"Yes, I've always known you love her. But you also once told me it wasn't in quote, 'any sort of throw her over the kitchen table sort of way', although apparently you didn't throw her over the table." Vincent's eyes narrowed as he remembered this conversation from six years before.

"Well, that wasn't entirely the truth." Cid leaned back into the cushions of the couch. "But I guess you know that now, too."

"Why were you able to keep yourself under control for all this time, only to give in now?" Vincent asked.

"I don't know. Part of it was that I never thought Tifa would go for it. Part of it was that I didn't want to cheat on Shera or Jin. Mostly, though, I was just fucking terrified of you," the pilot admitted.

"So what changed?"

"The fact that for the first time in all the years since you'd married her, that she seemed to be really regretting it. I'd never let her know exactly how I felt, and I'd wondered over the years if things would have been different had I told her. I'd wanted her all along. After Shera died, I wanted Tifa for myself so badly that it hurt. I then fell in love with Jin, but my feelings for Tifa…well, they never went away." Cid scowled for a moment. "Tifa has been upset for a while with you, I knew at least that much. It seemed to me that you just kept hurting her over and over again. That's killed me over the years, you know. First, it was all the shit you put her through with Chaos and then the surgery, then over the years, she would call me after you'd high tail it during your arguments. You've been a real bastard to her, Vincent."

To hear Cid address him with his actual name let Vincent know how serious he was. "I'm aware of that."

"So, I just had to spill it to her. I was sort of at a point where I felt I had nothing to lose. I couldn't stand the thought of her being with you anymore in light of everything. I wanted to show her that I loved her." His face was red from emotion. Cid was in no way comfortable discussing this with the husband of the woman he loved.

"Telling her how you feel would have been one thing, but you just immediately got to fucking her, Cid. Normally, those two events have a little time between them." Vincent cringed to hear himself say this, knowing that Tifa had already asked him not to say it so crudely.

"I know, Vincent. But I've felt like this for a long God damned time, guy. I'm getting old, I couldn't just sit around and wait for another fourteen years to go by. The fact that I was drunk to some extend didn't help my resolve to keep my hands off of her. Besides, she told me I could." Cid broke eye contact again.

"So she said to me." Vincent crossed his arms over his chest. "How did you feel about it afterward?"

"Once she pushed me away, I was upset, of course, that I hadn't gotten to finish. It didn't take me long to see, though, that she was immediately guilt stricken about cheating on you. Despite all that you'd put her through, she still felt bad. I couldn't believe it, but that's how she felt and there was nothing I could do about it. Then, I just felt bad for going that far. I'd made her all guilty over you, and that was the last thing I'd wanted." He reached forward and took his beer back into his hands.

"You only felt bad for making her more upset?"

"Yeah." Cid finished his drink. "Look, you and I are friends, we have been for a long time, but I was mad at you for treating her like you had. You've got the most wonderful woman in the world, Vincent, and you've really pulled her through the mud. I never would have been like that to her. You never deserved her, and I don't think you've really appreciated her on any level for a long time. You've earned everything that's happened to you, Vince. I was wrong in what I did, but you had it coming."

Vincent hung his head in shame. Cid was dead on. He had deserved everything that had happened. "All right."

"So, I'm guessing that's it, then? You'll want me to go and never come back, right?" Cid dropped his gaze to the floor.

"No."

Cid knit his brow and looked up at the other man. "What?"

"You mean more to Tifa than anyone, Cid. I know that. What happened between the two of you didn't change that." Vincent went over and sat in his chair. "I'm still going to go get Jaras, and I don't want her alone. She needs you."

The fact that Vincent was willing to allow him to remain with Tifa in light of what had happened seemed odd to him. "Really?"

"Yeah." He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "Besides, if she's already carrying your baby, what damage can you do?"

"I don't think it's mine, Sue."

"Well, I can tell you that it isn't likely to be mine, Cid." He looked over at the pilot.

"But you're married to her. Surely you'd been sleeping with her, right?" Cid narrowed his eyes.

"I had, but I'd been using protection ever since she'd gone off the pill, Cid. I didn't want another kid. So, it's a crap shoot who's baby she's carrying." Vincent looked away again.

Cid recalled when Tifa had told him this earlier. "Protection _every time_?"

Vincent nodded. "Yes."

"This sucks." The pilot slouched. "This is all my fault. God damn it, Vincent, I'm really sorry I fucked up your life."

"I fucked up my own life, Cid." Vincent sighed, "I did this myself."

An uncomfortable silence came over them for a few minutes before Cid spoke up again. "Vincent, what if it is mine?"

He shrugged. "Then it's between you and Tifa what to do."

"I'm not trying to be a loser here, but I never wanted any more kids, Vince." Cid frowned. "Would you be willing to raise it even if it wasn't yours?"

"I would do whatever Tifa wants." Vincent smiled. "She's been so excited about this baby…it's been the only thing that's brought her any sort of happiness lately. Besides, there's more to being a father than impregnating a woman."

Cid nodded, thinking about L.C. "Tell me about it."

"If it's not mine, then I won't have to worry about it coming up with any of my problems. You seem perfectly fine physically, anyway." Vincent smiled.

Cid's expression fell and he looked away. "Yeah."

Vincent saw the pilot's reaction. "Cid?"

He'd wanted to talk to Tifa about this, not Vincent. "Actually, do me a favor and go get Tifa, okay?"

Seeing that something serious was on the other man's mind, Vincent quickly got up and called Tifa in. He returned within a few seconds with his wife in tow.

Tifa sat on the couch next to Cid, and Vincent again went back to his chair.

Cid's eyes had gotten red, making it look like he was in danger of crying. "Okay, you two are the only friends I've got, despite all that came out today, so there's something really important that I need to ask you."

Vincent and Tifa just stared at him, waiting for whatever it was.

"I, uh, need to ask you guys to take care of L.C." He stared down at his empty beer bottle.

"For how long?" Tifa asked, more than willing to take on the boy for as long as needed.

"Forever."

Vincent and Tifa both didn't want to accept what he'd just said, and Tifa placed her hand on the pilot's shoulder. "Why?"

"I got some bad news yesterday, Tifa." He turned to face her. "I had a cold a few weeks ago, but couldn't seem to shake the cough that I developed afterward. I went to the doctor to see if they could do anything, but I wasn't coughing from the cold."

Tifa already had tears in her eyes, knowing what he was about to say. "No…"

"Yeah, turns out I might as well have kept right on smoking all this time." Cid wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. "Cancer. I've got fucking cancer."

"There's nothing they can do?" Tifa asked in a wavering voice.

"No, it's too far gone already. They told me I've only got about four months." Cid moved closer to Tifa, needing comfort.

Vincent closed his eyes and hung his head, feeling horrible about having attacked the other man earlier. "Oh man…"

Tifa broke down, and threw her arms around him. Cid embraced her, but looked over at Vincent for his approval. Seeing that he had it, he nuzzled down against Tifa's neck, and whispered, "So, will you take care of L.C.?"

"Of course we will." She pulled back a little and glanced at Vincent. "Won't we?"

"We can take him," Vincent replied quietly.

"Thanks." Cid let his arms fall away from Tifa, not wanting to cling to her too much in Vincent's presence. "He doesn't know yet. I was going to wait to tell him until after I knew who he'd end up with. I didn't want him to have to worry about that. Being that he and Aaron are best friends, I thought this might be the right place for him."

"Sure thing, don't worry about it. We'd love to have him, Cid." Tifa forced herself to smile. The thought that her best friend wasn't going to be around forever pained her in a way she'd never known.

Vincent tensed his jaw several times, not knowing what he was supposed to say. The fear that had settled into him about Tifa leaving him for the pilot was now pointless to hold on to. Cid wouldn't be around for Tifa to leave him for. He felt awful for the whole thing. "I'm sorry, Cid."

Cid forced a smile and gathered back what he could of his bravado. "Well, don't worry about it. Four months…it's a long time, right? I mean, it's not like I'm going to die tomorrow."

They just stared at him. Apparently, Cid Highwind wasn't going to give death the satisfaction of rattling him too much.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

"Get up!" demanded an angry voice.

Jaras awoke when he was kicked in the side. His body was aching and bloodied from the sexual assault and ensuing beating that he'd endured the night before. Mercifully, he'd managed to pass off into sleep after the two men had finally had enough, but that brief reprieve had now ended. The memory of what he'd suffered the night before flooded back, and Jaras wanted to die.

One of the men in the room was at his side, hurriedly getting Jaras' clothes back onto his body properly. As he felt this happening, Jaras was relieved on some level, knowing that at least for the moment, he would probably be spared from getting raped again.

Shortly thereafter, he heard the door to the room open, and he was hauled up by some of the men and taken back to the van. Again, he was thrown onto the floor of the thing on his back, his hands still cuffed behind him.

Jaras remained quiet as he heard the men all get into the van around him and then begin driving down the road.

"Why is he so beat up?" someone asked, Jaras not recognizing the voice.

"He tried to escape last night," the man Jaras now knew as Hatley replied, almost laughing. "We had to get him to calm down."

"I see," the other man replied, seeming doubtful. "See to it that he's not harmed again between here and the facility, would you?"

"Yes, Sir," the leader shot back, not sounding amused.

"We should be there by tonight. The helicopter is waiting for us at the pick up point all ready," the mystery voice said quietly.

There was something unsettling in the tone the new man was using. He wasn't openly gruff or crude like the four SOLDIERs, instead, he seemed overly calm. His manner of speaking hinted that he might be someone of considerable status. Jaras wasn't comforted by this in the least.

-------------------

Cid woke up at six. Thanks to the emotional draining he'd undergone the day before, sleep had come readily by the time he'd turned in. After his confrontation with Vincent and then his revelation regarding his disease, the rest of the previous day had been spent in an awkward silence between he, Vincent, and Tifa.

Each of his movements was agonizing, as the rib of his that had been cracked in the fight pained him with each breath and movement. During the night, he'd coughed frequently, thanks to his condition. With each of these fits, he'd forced himself to remain quiet, as the misery of coughing with a broken rib was beyond terrible.

He got up and dressed, then making his way out into the kitchen. When he spotted Vincent sitting there at the table alone, he stopped in his tracks.

Vincent looked up with one of the most pathetic expressions the pilot had ever seen. The other man's eyes clearly stated that he'd been up all night, most likely crying off and on. In his hands was held a cup of coffee, which had been laced with a good amount of alcohol. He said nothing to Cid, and just sat staring.

Cid sighed to himself and got up the nerve to go and sit at the table, opposite to Vincent. "Up all night?"

He nodded, and took a drink from his cup. Vincent maintained silence for the moment.

"Like I said yesterday, I'm really sorry."

"She and I talked a lot last night." Vincent dropped his gaze down to the table.

Cid cocked his head to the side. "So, what's going to happen with the two of you?"

"We're going to try and work things out. There's some issues going on with me that need to be taken care of, and hopefully that will help us," Vincent said quietly.

"What?" Cid asked, wanting a reason why Vincent had been so needlessly miserable to Tifa.

He tapped on the side of the bottle of Irish Crème sitting on the table. "This. I can't do this. I use our fights as an excuse to drink."

Things made a little more sense now, and Cid looked thoughtful. "Got a problem with that, huh?"

Vincent shrugged slightly. "Yes."

"Addictions fucking suck, but I guess I don't have to tell you that." Cid decided that some coffee wasn't that bad an idea and went over to retrieve himself a cup.

Vincent fell silent again until the pilot sat back down. "She finally fell asleep at around four. I tried, but every time I closed my eyes…"

Cid waited for him to finish, but he didn't. "Every time you close your eyes, what?"

Vincent frowned and looked over at the chair to his left, where Tifa always sat. "I see her, here." He turned his gaze back to Cid. "With you."

Cid tensed his jaw, feeling his fear of Vincent set in again. He didn't know what he was supposed to say.

"It's bad enough that you did it, Cid, but you did it in my own house." Vincent took another sip of his coffee, keeping his stare fixed on the pilot. "I want to stay with her, I love her, and I owe it to Aaron, but it's going to be a long time before I quit thinking about her being with you. Maybe I'm wrong for being this pissed at a dying man, but I am."

"Well, you have to stay with her, Vincent." Cid looked down into the coffee cup in front of him. "I'm gonna be gone in a few months, and you're the one she loves the most. If I was going to be around, I'd be fighting like mad to get her to come be with me, that's the honest to God truth, but that's not how it is. You're gonna have to take care of her, and you're gonna have to do it right."

Vincent looked back over at Tifa's empty chair. "I damn near lost her, and I may yet from all of this if I can't get past the fact that it happened."

"You don't want to lose her, Vincent." Cid's voice softened a little. "You don't want to know what it's like to lose a good woman like that."

He looked up at his guest, seeing that Cid now looked profoundly sad. Vincent realized that Cid was, in his own way, expressing his pain over losing Shera to death and Jin to whatever had driven her away. He became curious. "Why did Jin leave?"

Cid scowled for a second, not sure if he wanted to get into this at the moment, but it was going to take the focus off of his indiscretion with Tifa. "I don't know. She didn't know about all of this shit. I took her out to dinner on the sixth anniversary of our first date and I asked her to marry me. She didn't say anything, but just got up from the table and ran out. She sent a friend over to get her stuff from my house a few days later. I've tried calling her to see if she would talk to me, but she won't answer. Hell, I've tried to tell myself that she's going to come back and agree to it at some point, but…it's just a pipe dream. It's probably just as well anyway. I wouldn't want her to sit around and watch me die. I'm guessing things aren't gonna be real pleasant toward the end, you know."

Vincent didn't want to see Cid deteriorate and pass on. Affair or not, he'd been one of the few friends that Vincent had kept over the years. The pilot's constant and overbearing confidence and unshakable nature would be completely destroyed in those last few weeks, as his dignity was stripped from him. This was probably the most inappropriate way for someone of his always independent and fierce nature to go. Cid should have been killed in a fight or a crash. Somehow, Vincent knew that this was what the pilot had always wanted, not to die in some sterile hospital bed. It just wasn't right. "Tifa and I will stay with you through it."

"I don't want anyone to see me like that, Vincent," Cid admitted, his expression one of misery.

"We won't let you die alone."

"Damn it, I don't want you two to see me like that!" Cid shook his head and knit his brow. "I'm going to be hooked up to all kinds of shit as they try to keep me going. I'm gonna get skinny as hell and weak, and there'll come a point where I won't be able to even speak to anyone that's around. I'll be coughing and choking constantly, until finally, I basically drown from all the crap inside me. I don't want Tifa to see that! I don't want L.C. to have that memory of me, either."

"You can't expect everyone that cares about you just to abandon you at the end." Vincent hoped that Cid's outburst hadn't woken Tifa or the boys.

"I don't suppose…"

"What, Cid?" Vincent narrowed his eyes, feeling something uncomfortable arise.

"That you could just, you know, kill me when it starts to get bad. I mean, what better revenge on me for doing what I did than to wipe me out, right?" Cid almost sounded serious.

He wasn't sure if the pilot was joking or not. If he was, it was a little more morbid than Vincent was ready to handle. "Kill you? And go to prison? No, thanks."

"No one would need to know, Vincent." Cid was serious. "Make it look like I killed myself. I would do it myself, but I'd be too chicken to actually pull the trigger. You've killed plenty of people in your day, though. It'd be nothing for you, right?"

"I killed many, yes, but they weren't my friends or people I cared about one way or another." Vincent was horrified to have even been asked.

Cid crossed his arms over his chest. "Are you telling me that even after this fucking mess I've made of your life that you're still gonna say I'm your friend?"

Vincent's whole world was in flux at the moment, and he figured that it wasn't a good time to decide who was or wasn't close to him anymore. "I don't know. Ask me again in a few days. I'm confused about things at the moment."

"Fair enough." Cid settled back into his seat. Yesterday, Vincent had been willing, or so it seemed, to kill him. Maybe it would have been best for their fight to not have been broken up. "I don't want to go like this."

"I know." Vincent closed his eyes for a moment, wondering if this was what rock bottom felt like. His son was missing, his wife was possibly carrying someone else's child, his best friend had screwed his wife, that same friend was now dying of some God forsaken disease, and he was a raging alcoholic. After all, here he was the morning after his final admittal of dependency, helping himself to a spiked coffee. Suddenly, something welled up within Vincent and he stood, sending his chair crashing to the floor behind him.

Cid's eyes went wide, as he didn't know what was going on. He remained in his place, not sure if he should run or not.

Vincent scowled at the cup he held in his right hand. "This is the end. I'm going to fix all of this, and I'm going to do it now." He proceeded to hurl the coffee cup across the kitchen, sending it smashing into the cabinets beneath the sink. Fragments of ceramic went everywhere. Vincent then turned his attention to the bottle sitting on the table. He grabbed it and went over to the sink, dumping its contents down the drain. "I've had enough. I've fucking had enough."

Cid got up from his seat and slowly approached him. "Vince?"

He spun around, eyes blazing. "I've done all this to myself. I've hurt everyone around me. I can't take it anymore. It can't get any worse."

It was clear to Cid that Vincent had made some sort of decision regarding the situation at hand. Now whether it was to get help and make up with Tifa, or to submit to his previous suicidal drives, the pilot didn't know. "What are you gonna do?"

Vincent took a few steps away and opened up a cabinet that contained the house's cache of liquor. It was from these bottles that Vincent catered to his addiction whenever he didn't go to the bar. He took them all up and over to the sink, where he started to empty them one by one.

Cid just stood at his side and watched. Apparently, Vincent was going to give actually coping with his feelings like an adult a try. He couldn't help but smile and he placed his hand on the other man's shoulder. "Tifa's gonna be real happy about this, Sue."

Vincent froze for a moment when he felt Cid touch him. He turned his head and stared into the pilot's blue eyes.

Cid wondered if he'd crossed some sort of line by touching Vincent. He let his hand slide away. "What?"

"Get the beer, too."

Cid knit his brow. "Come again?"

"The beer, in the fridge, get it." Vincent turned his attention back to his pouring.

Immediately, Cid looked disgusted. "You're not really gonna dump all that perfectly good beer down the drain!"

"It all has to go. Everything." Vincent looked at Cid again. "Besides, you shouldn't be drinking at all."

"I'm dead already, Vincent. A little alcohol ain't gonna matter. It's like pissing on the proverbial forest fire." Cid moved away and toward the refrigerator, ready to get what Vincent had asked for, unhappy about it or not. He grabbed the eight bottles he spotted and brought them over to Vincent, setting one down on the table on the way.

With the other alcohol now gone, Vincent flipped the tops off of the seven bottles Cid had placed on the counter and dumped them as well. Soon, the sink was full of empty bottles.

The pilot went back over to the table and sat again, opening the one beer he'd saved from needless destruction. Before it got to his lips, however, Vincent reached over him and plucked the bottle from his hands.

Cid turned in his seat, and watched as Vincent drained this last bottle into the sink like the others. "You know, I was going to drink that."

Vincent paid him no attention for several seconds. "You shouldn't be drinking. We went over that already."

"Full of the same social grace as ever, I see." Cid leaned back in his chair and took his coffee cup into his hands again. He sat and watched as Vincent then got to the task of cleaning up the remains of the coffee cup he'd thrown across the room earlier.

With things as he figured they should be, Vincent came back over and sat. He considered the man before him for awhile. "We'll take good care of L.C."

"I know, that's why I asked you." Cid finished his drink. "And it's another reason why you and Tifa need to get things sorted out. I don't want my kid going into a home that's gonna fall apart. He's already been through that shit with Jin bailing on us after six years."

Jin had been, for all intensive purposes, the closest thing to a mother that L.C. had possessed. Her sudden removal from the kid's life surely had effected him on some level, an idea that Vincent had never given thought to before. "How's he coping with that?"

"The kid's tough. Generally, he won't let onto the fact that something's bothering him. He's asked me a couple of times, though, if she was ever coming home. All I've been able to tell him is that I really don't know." Cid's expression turned sad again.

"And how are you going to tell him about the cancer?" Vincent asked, not hearing the door opening down the hallway.

Cid shrugged. "I don't know. How do you tell a seven year old that you're gonna die in a few months?"

The small gasp that was heard from the doorway to the kitchen caused both men to turn immediately. Standing there in his pajamas was L.C. There were already tears in his eyes. He'd known over the last two days that something was wrong with his father, and having heard Cid's last remark, it was now all too clear to the boy.

Cid regretted the fact that his son had just listened in, but knew that the subject had to be dealt with. "Come here, kid."

L.C. shuffled forward, tears marking his cheeks. He came over and sat on Cid's lap. "Dad? You're…you're gonna die?"

Cid frowned for a moment. "The doctor told me a few days ago that I'm really sick, L.C."

"Why? What's wrong? Why can't the doctors fix you?" the boy asked, his innocence heartbreaking.

"I've got cancer in my lungs, kid." Cid wiped some of the tears from his boy's face. "They said I've only got about four months. They can't fix it, because by the time they found it, things were already too messed up."

L.C. tried to put up a brave front, knowing that his father disapproved of crying, but this was just more than a boy could take. He threw his arms around Cid's neck and sobbed against him.

The pilot's heart broke as his son came undone in his embrace. Cid looked across the table, seeing Vincent stare back. "L.C.?"

The boy sat back and gazed into his father's eyes. "W…what?"

"After I go, you're gonna live with Vincent, Tifa, and Aaron here," Cid said quietly.

L.C. shook his head. "But…but Aaron said that his mom and dad hate each other! I don't want to be here if they're just gonna fight all the time!"

Vincent's eyes went wide to hear this. He'd tried, he really had, to at least keep he and Tifa's troubles away from Aaron, but apparently, he'd failed. It didn't surprise Vincent too much, after all, his son was far more intuitive than most, and with his usual way of wandering around the house in complete silence, it wasn't surprising that they boy would have eavesdropped at some point. He got up from the table, knowing that he needed to go talk to his son.

Cid watched Vincent go, before saying anything else to L.C. "They don't hate each other, kid. They were having some problems, but those are gonna get better now. By the time you come here to live, things will be just fine."

L.C. just started crying again. At seven, he may have been a mature boy, but this was more than anyone could bear.

Vincent entered Aaron's room, finding that his son was awake and dressed, sitting on his bed. He cocked his head to the side as his father entered and closed the door behind him.

Vincent went over and sat beside his son, looking down into his eyes. "Do you really think that your mother and I hate each other?"

Aaron's gaze dropped away, ashamed that his belief had gotten out. "Yes."

"Why?"

"Because you two fight all the time," he said simply.

"We never have fought in front of you, Aaron." Vincent leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

"No, you usually do it after I go to bed, but I hear everything." He felt a sting in his eyes and turned away, not wanting his father to see him cry.

Vincent was hurt to hear this. All along, he and Tifa had believed that the boy had slept through the fights. "You weren't asleep?"

Aaron narrowed his eyes and scoffed, "Did you actually think I could sleep through that?"

To hear his son so clearly replicate his own biting tone got Vincent's attention. "You were always out when we'd come into check on you afterward."

"I pretended to be asleep. I didn't want you two to have to try and explain to me why you were fighting, since the stories that parents tell their kids about such things are usually a load of crap." Aaron fell over on his side, pulling his legs back up onto the bed.

"Watch your language." Although he knew that the boy was just emulating him, Vincent still didn't want Aaron to act this way.

When Aaron spoke more than a word or two at a time, the fact that he was a lot more advanced than most kids his age showed through. He was intelligent, frighteningly so, and when he was upset, he, like his father, would call things like he saw them. "Maybe you should have watched yours."

Vincent's normal reaction to being talked to this way by his son would have been to get angry, but this time the boy was correct, and had every right to be upset. "Those fights…they were all my fault, Aaron. Don't be mad at your mother for any of it."

"I've wished for a while now that if you two were just going to keep fighting like you have been, that you'd just get a divorce and be done with it. I can't stand living with parents that pretend to like each other when I'm around, but that fight the second I leave the room." Aaron sat back up, finding that he was too upset to lie down.

Vincent allowed himself to crack a little under such a statement. "We may have fought, Aaron, but I never quit loving your mother. I don't want you to say that I hate her, because I don't, and don't you dare ever say that I do."

Aaron nodded shallowly upon this order from his father. "Okay."

"Like I said, the fights were my fault." Vincent let his tone relax a little. "I know I've made your mother miserable, and apparently, I've made you unhappy, too. But that's going to change now."

Aaron looked over at his father. "Why? Why is it going to change now?"

Not knowing what he should say, Vincent fell silent for a moment. "What's going to change is that I'm going to get help."

"And what about you and Cid? Why were you fighting? Yesterday, after you and mom left, he told us that it wasn't anything to worry about, but I know that grown men don't usually go after each other like that unless something really bad has happened." Aaron was now in charge of this conversation and he knew it. His posture changed and his head again cocked to the side.

"Aaron…" Vincent turned to face his son straight on. "Cid and I fought because I was mad at him."

"Why? And don't give me that 'you'll understand when you're older' bit." Aaron ran a hand though his hair.

Vincent felt cornered and he didn't like it. Telling his seven-year-old son that his mother had been unfaithful wasn't something that he felt like he should have to do. "Aaron, what happened isn't something you need to worry about, all right?"

"Fine, I know what it is anyway."

Vincent cocked an eyebrow and stared at his son. "You do?"

Aaron nodded, and began to fidget with his hands. "Yeah. Last time Cid was here, I saw him and mom doing something in the kitchen."

Vincent felt himself flush red and his eyes went wide. "Aaron, you _saw_ that?"

He nodded again. "Yup."

The fact that his son had witnessed what had taken place killed Vincent. He hung his head and sighed. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I don't know…it was wrong. I knew it was something that I shouldn't have seen. I didn't want to talk about it. I was trying to forget." The boy was obviously embarrassed by what he'd watched.

Vincent put his arm around his son's shoulders and pulled him close. "Well, you're right. That's what I was mad at Cid for."

"So you hate him now?" he asked.

"I'm upset, and I'm hurt, but I don't think I hate him, Aaron." Vincent kissed the top of his son's head. "What would you think if I told you that L.C. might move in with us?"

"Why would Cid and L.C. live here?" Aaron looked up at his father.

"Not Cid and, just L.C." Vincent forced himself to smile.

"I guess that would be okay, as long as you and mom aren't going to fight anymore. I don't think L.C. would be able to handle that." The boy narrowed his eyes again. "But why would L.C. move here?"

"Well, Aaron, his dad is sick, and he's not going to get better." Vincent hated delivering this news. "Cid's going to die."

Aaron's eyes went wide, and his lips moved to form a word, but no sound came out.

"It's going to be a few months, but after it happens, he'll live here." Vincent held his son tighter. "Is that all right with you?"

"Sure. L.C.'s my best friend." Aaron frowned. "He'd get the guest room for his own, right?"

"I'd imagine so, unless your mom has a girl. If that's the case, then the two of you will probably stay in the same room. We'll worry about it when the time comes." He let his arm fall away from his son and he got up. "While I'm gone over the next few weeks, you'll take care of your mom, right?"

The departure of his father wasn't something the boy was looking forward to. Then again, with him gone, there would be no fighting. "Sure."

Vincent gave him a smile and then stepped out.

As he left the room, L.C. went by with tears in his eyes, going into Aaron's room and shutting the door behind him. Vincent remained there in the hall for a moment, tempted to listen in on what the boys were going to say to one another, but that wouldn't have been right. He went back out to where Cid was sitting, seeing that the pilot had been crying again. "How is L.C. handling it?"

Cid shrugged. "He's upset."

"I'd imagine so. Losing a parent…is really hard." Vincent landed back in his seat.

Cid remembered the story of Vincent's past, remembering that the other man had lost his mother when he was L.C.'s age, and his father when he was fourteen. "What…what do you think going through that did to you? I mean, is there anything you can think of that I can do to help my boy through this?"

Vincent had never been asked such a thing. Terrible things had happened after his parents had died, but it wasn't a result of anything that his mother and father had done. "When they died it hurt, but I don't know about how it affected me long term."

He crossed his arms over his chest, knowing that Vincent was muddling through feelings he hadn't dealt with in a while. Cid decided to give Vincent all the time he needed.

"Actually, that's not entirely true." Vincent slouched in his seat. "I think…I think it made me paranoid on some level."

"How so?" Cid asked.

"Paranoid that everyone that I loved would be torn away from me. That made me want to keep everyone at a distance. Of course, I went on to be ultimately betrayed by everyone that I did let in, proving that my paranoia had been justified." Vincent closed his eyes and sighed. "Betrayed every fucking time."

Cid knew that this was directed at both he and Tifa, and his remorse for the situation erupted again. "Shit. Vincent, I can sit here all damn day and keep telling you I'm sorry, but I don't know what that's gonna change."

Vincent laughed weakly. "You know, I went and talked to Aaron while you were out here with L.C. Do you know what he told me?"

Cid shook his head.

"He told me that he saw you and Tifa do it."

Cid's jaw dropped. "B…but it was three in the morning, and no one was up!"

"If he was up, you never would have known it, Cid. The boy is like a cat. You can't hear him moving around at all. He saw it, of that I have no doubt." Vincent glared at the other man.

If Cid had felt bad before, now it was worse. "I can't fix any of this. Everyone will just be better off after I die."

"Do you really feel that way?" Vincent asked, deciding to get into the pilot's head for a while.

With his defenses down, Cid answered, "Yeah, I'm starting to."

"But people care about you."

"People that I've hurt. My boy needs me, but everyone else's life would be easier if I wasn't around." Cid felt his eyes sting yet again.

"That's not true." Vincent placed his elbows on the table and leaned forward. "Tifa loves you. Yes, what happened between you two is regrettable, but as I've said before, I brought that on myself. But when you die, it will hurt her and I."

"You sure as hell ain't gonna shed a tear over me, Sunshine." Cid almost smiled.

"I might."

Cid, again, felt his jaw drop and he met Vincent's gaze. "Really?"

Vincent shrugged. "I said might."

"That's what I thought. You're just messing with me."

Vincent got up and came around the table. He placed his hands on Cid's shoulders and leaned down close to his ear. "Affair with my wife or not, Highwind, I do love you."

Cid didn't know whether to outright laugh or run out of the room screaming. This was the most un-Vincent like thing Vincent had ever done. He had no idea how to respond.

Vincent smiled faintly to himself, before squeezing Cid's shoulders and then giving the other man a quick kiss on the cheek before straightening back up and strolling out of the kitchen. He was well aware that what he'd just done had shocked Cid, and wished to leave him alone to stew.

Cid continued to remain perfectly still for a long time. The fact that Vincent had just said he loved him and had then gone on to kiss him wasn't sitting well. He realized that Vincent had just done it to mess with him, but it wasn't the sort of joke that he'd come to expect out of the man. After a while, he got up from the table and went outside to feel the morning air. He needed to do the things he liked as much as possible. The number of beautiful mornings like this one that he had left were numbered.

-------------------

Vincent went back into his bedroom, seeing that Tifa was still sleeping. He sat next to her and examined her as she rested. Carefully, he reached out and stroked her hair, causing her to stir.

Her eyes opened and she looked up at him. "Hey."

"Hey yourself." Vincent's expression turned sad. "I spoke with Aaron this morning."

She stretched and sat up, then placing her hands on the sides of her rounded belly. "What about?"

"He told L.C. that we hate each other, so I went and asked him about it. Aaron, so it seems, hasn't actually been sleeping through our arguments, Tifa." He looked away.

She brought her hands up to her mouth. "Oh no… What did you tell him?"

"The truth."

Tifa cocked an eyebrow. "And what was that?"

"That I don't hate you at all. That I've always loved you, and that the fights are going to end." Vincent reached out and put a hand on her stomach, feeling that the baby within was moving.

"Damn it, I didn't want him to hear any of it. He never let on that he knew we were having problems." Tifa put her hand on top of Vincent's, guiding him to a spot where he'd be able to feel the baby kicking better.

"He asked me why Cid and I were fighting, too," Vincent said, noticing the strength of the baby's movements.

"And?"

"I told him that I had gotten angry with Cid, but I opted not to tell him why. It didn't matter, though. He proceeded to tell me that the night you and Cid were together, that he saw you two." Vincent met her gaze.

Tifa froze. This was the worst thing she could have heard. "Vincent…"

He shrugged and then rose from the bed. "There's nothing that can be done about it now, Tifa."

She felt horribly guilty in knowing that her son had witnessed her infidelity. "I can't believe all of this…"

Vincent went over and pulled open the curtains to the room, flooding it with light. "I told Aaron that L.C. will be living with us, and Cid told his son about the situation."

Tifa got up and went over to the dresser, pulling out some clothes. "Poor L.C., what did he do?"

"Cried."

"And?" Tifa asked, pulling on tee shirt.

"I left the room, so that I could talk to Aaron. When I left Aaron's room, L.C. blew past me in the hall and went back inside." Vincent turned and watched as she dressed. Her pregnant form fascinated him. How her body could change so much in just a few months was amazing. The fact that the baby within her might not be his reared up, and he frowned.

She looked over at him, seeing him standing with his arms crossed over his chest. "What?"

"Nothing." He forced a different expression. Vincent knew he had to keep himself from thinking about Tifa and Cid together. "I hope Jaras is all right."

With all that had been going on, Jaras' situation had been the last thing on Tifa's mind. As she buttoned her shorts, she sighed, "This is all just too much to deal with at once."

"Maybe it's better to get it all over at once," Vincent speculated, taking a few steps toward her. "They should be here to get me today."

She nodded, no longer having the will to ask him not to go. "Right."

Vincent placed a hand beneath her chin and brought her to look up at him. "Tell me one more time that you won't do anything with Cid."

Tifa narrowed her eyes. "Vincent, the man is dying. I doubt very much that he's interested now."

"But are you?"

Tifa tensed her jaw. This was starting to seem like a prelude to another one of their fights and she needed to stop it from starting. "No, I'm not. We're not going to fight, Vincent. Don't do this."

He realized that he was being confrontational in his subtle way and put on the brakes before it got out of hand. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay."

With his hand still forcing her to look up at him, he stared down into her eyes. Heavier from pregnancy or not, she was still beautiful. Vincent bent down and kissed her.

Tifa could taste the liquor on his tongue from his spiked coffee earlier and she pulled away. "You've already been drinking?"

"It was the last time, Tifa." Vincent regretted his morning drink even more now that he'd gotten caught. "I poured all of the alcohol we had down the sink this morning. Every last bottle."

Tifa wasn't sure what to say. "When you're gone, though, you're not going to drink, right? And when you come back, you'll get help?"

_Such promises were made to be broken, _Vincent thought silently to himself. "I promise not to drink while I'm gone, if you promise not to touch Cid."

Tifa produced a smile. "Deal."

Vincent stepped away from her and went over to the door. Instead of opening it and stepping out, he locked it. He then came back before her.

Tifa wondered what he was up to, but once he was standing before her, she could immediately tell. There was something very distinct in Vincent's body language that she'd come to recognize over the years.

He saw that she knew what was on his mind, and he placed his hands on the sides of her face before kissing her again. After today, he may never see her again if he didn't survive. This may be his last chance to be with her, and he was going to take it.

Tifa placed her hands upon his chest as their lips met, and slowly began to let them trail down his body. When they got to his waist, she was surprised that he stepped back and grabbed her wrists firmly. The look in his eyes wasn't one that she particularly liked.

Vincent stepped closer to her again, letting go of her arms. He placed his hands upon her shoulders and forced her to turn around, then he pushed her forward, so that she was leaning onto the dresser.

Tifa looked back over her shoulder at Vincent as she felt him slip his arms around her and begin to undo the shorts she'd just put on. This wasn't Vincent's usual way of doing things. "Vince?"

He let her shorts and undergarments fall down and hit the floor. Vincent gazed down at how she was offered up to him for a second, before meeting her gaze. His eyes narrowed, and a leer came to his lips.

Tifa was almost frightened by this look. It seemed familiar.

Vincent placed his left arm around her waist, and used his right one to free himself of his jeans. He was already aroused, and without any gentle preparation as was his norm, he just drove straight into her.

Tifa was shocked by this, and moved forward slightly, but found that with his arm around her waist as it was, there was no where to go. She closed her eyes, not accustomed to him just going for it like he had.

Now into her, Vincent slid his right arm up and around her neck, almost placing her in a headlock. He didn't apply any pressure to her throat at all, but she was successfully restrained.

Tifa didn't like this feeling of confinement, but wasn't about to protest. After all she'd put him through, she would let him do this his way. She braced herself against the dresser as best she could.

At first he went slowly as he tended to do, afraid of hurting Tifa in her current condition. He closed his eyes.

Tifa, despite her reservations over the way he had her positioned, began to respond to him. She tilted her hips back toward him, and sighed, "Vincent…"

Vincent listened to the sounds she made and for a moment, he smiled faintly. Then, his mind betrayed him. _I bet she sounded just like this when Cid went at her, too. The way she whispers out your name when she really likes it… I wonder if she called out to him like that?_

Tifa felt the way he was moving change. His thrusts became more forceful as he seemed to throw caution to the wind. It caused her to writhe against him more, her breathing quickening.

Vincent's wretched mind didn't miss a beat. _She likes it. I wonder what she's thinking about. Her eyes are closed. She's thinking about Cid, I know she's thinking about fucking Cid. I'm going to make her forget…_

Anger began to build up within him, and his motions became even more forceful. He held onto Tifa tighter as he relentlessly drilled at her.

Now, Vincent was going at her hard enough for it to hurt. She looked up into the mirror on the back of the dresser and saw his face. It wasn't Vincent's normal expression that he wore during such encounters. Instead, he was glaring right back at her, his eyes narrowed, and his teeth bared. Everything about the situation told Tifa that he wasn't doing this with his usual intent of seeing that they both enjoyed the experience. This was his anger coming out in its most frightening form. He didn't seem to care if the way he was moving hurt her. Vincent just wasn't Vincent.

Tifa couldn't take it anymore and she began to struggle to get away from him. Tears were marking her cheeks and she managed to get out of his grasp. She turned to face him, backing away. "What in the hell are you doing?"

Vincent stood there panting. His rage got the better of him. "Is this your new thing? Let a man get into it and then make him stop? Or did you just open your eyes and see me, ruining your little fantasy you had going on about Cid?"

Tifa's jaw dropped. "Excuse me?"

"Would you rather I go get Cid to finish the job?"

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Tifa was now backed against the wall, and she was terrified.

"I don't know, I guess I thought it would be nice to have sex with my wife one last time before I go off to potentially die, Tifa," he growled back.

Tifa looked down at herself for a moment. The tee shirt she still had on was just long enough to cover her. Not knowing what else to do, and being scared out of her mind, she reached over, unlocked the door and ran out.

Vincent was shaking. He reached down and got his clothes back in order before going over to the bed and sitting for a moment. He felt sick, literally sick. Whatever had come over him had not been welcome. Deciding that his stomach really was going to turn on him, he got up and ran to the bathroom, making it just in time to vomit.

-------------------

Cid was still sitting on the porch looking out at the lawn, as Tifa's small flock of chickens walked around, looking for bugs or whatever it is chickens look for. When the door to the house opened, he glanced over.

Tifa was holding onto the bottom edge of her shirt, keeping it pulled down far enough to be decent. Her complexion was flushed, and tears were still upon her cheeks. "Cid?"

It was obvious that something was horribly wrong. He got up and went over to her. "What in the hell is going on?"

Now in Cid's presence, she felt safe enough to let it out. She threw her arms around him, not caring that she wasn't completely dressed. Tifa just clung to him for several minutes before answering. "Oh God Cid… Vincent, he's lost it."

Cid reached down and held her back at arm's length. "He hurt you?"

She was ashamed to admit it. "He didn't hit me or anything, he just… he just got really rough. It was like…"

"It was like what, Tifa?" Vincent growled back. He was standing behind her in the doorway, arms crossed over his chest. His nausea had abated and he'd come out here to look for her. Seeing her half clothed and in the pilot's arms brought back the anger within him again.

She spun and faced him, pressing her back against Cid. "Vincent, go away."

He didn't comply, and took a step forward. "It was like what, Tifa?"

"It was like Chaos was back," she said, her voice trembling.

Cid's eyes went wide as he listened to her say this. Having tangled with Chaos before, this was not something he wanted to deal with. In one quick motion, he stepped around Tifa, placing her safely behind him. "Vincent, is it you or not?"

"Chaos has been dead for years, you both know that." His expression was cruel. "Tifa, come back inside and talk to me."

"There's nothing to talk about, Vincent!" Now behind Cid, she felt braver. "If that wasn't Chaos…"

"Then what?" he asked, taking another step forward.

"Then I can't trust you." Tifa placed her hands on Cid's shoulders. "Leave."

Having been shot in the heart before, Vincent knew what it felt like. It felt like that now. He placed his hand upon his chest and took a few steps backward. The pain within him was intense, and his attempts to draw in a normal breath were lacking. The color drained from his face and he started to fall, but he managed to brace himself against the side of the house. His arms started to ache as well, and his nausea returned. Vincent's head swam, and his vision started to fade. Although he realized that he was losing consciousness, he didn't understand why.

Seeing Vincent's state confused Tifa and Cid for a moment. This was neither Chaos erupting nor a seizure. Something was very, _very_ wrong with Vincent. Tifa suddenly realized that she'd seen this before, but not with Vincent.

It had been Tseng.

And Tseng had been Vincent's brother.

Tseng had suffered from a heart condition.

"Oh shit! Cid, go call an ambulance!" Tifa said, terror in her voice. She rushed over to Vincent's side and helped him get to the ground. With her limited medical experience, there was little she could do.

Vincent's eyes fluttered close and his body went limp as it lay before her. Tifa reached down and searched for his pulse in his neck. She found it, but it was neither strong nor regular. Her suspicion was correct. "Come on, Vincent! Fight this!"

He couldn't hear her. He wasn't aware of anything at the moment.

Cid had gone back into the house and called for help. As quickly as possible, he got back outside and to where Tifa was sitting with the unconscious man. "What the fuck is wrong with him now?"

"I think he's having a heart attack, Cid." Tifa sat there, holding Vincent's hand.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Cid knelt down at his side. "Is there anything that isn't wrong with him?"

Tifa was losing hope. The hospital was well over an hour away, and it would probably take about that long for the ambulance to arrive. If Vincent wasn't going to come out of this on his own, then there was a good chance that he wouldn't come out of it at all. She cried, feeling that her order for him to leave had been what had pushed him over the edge.

Cid heard something and shot to his feet. He ran out onto the lawn and looked up.

ASRIO's airship was overhead and was descending.

Tifa took notice of this as well, and looked out over at Cid. "Airship?"

Cid couldn't hear her over the drone of the fans as the immense craft came closer. Within a few short minutes, it was on the ground and Cid went over to the hatch, waiting for someone to emerge.

Porter opened the door and prepared to step out. The fact that he saw the aging pilot standing before him brought a smile to his lips. "Mr. Highwind?"

"Tell me you brought that fucking doctor with you," Cid said, hoping for a miracle.

"Janice? Yeah, she's with us." Porter cocked his head to the side. "What's going on?"

"Fucking Sue's having a heart attack. Go get her, fast." Cid turned away, so that he could keep an eye on Tifa.

Porter stood there for a moment, shocked at what he'd heard. Once he got a grip, he spun around and made his way to the doctor's cabin. The airship had just picked her up from a medical conference on the way to get Vincent.

Cid went over and back to Tifa. "That doctor woman is on the airship, Tifa. She's coming out."

Instantly relieved, Tifa looked up at Cid. "Thank God."

Porter soon emerged from the ship, followed by Janice. She made her way to Vincent's side and quickly evaluated him.

Janice asked Tifa as she checked Vincent out, "Has he had heart problems before?"

"No." Tifa shook her head. "It was never an issue for him."

"Well, with as bad as Tseng's was, this isn't that much of a surprise." Janice got back to her feet and looked at Porter and Cid. "Help me get him into the airship and to the infirmary."

The two men did as ordered and got Vincent to the infirmary. Tifa ran back into the house to get her shorts and to make sure that the boys were all right before heading to her husband.

When she entered the infirmary she found Vincent lying on a bed, with Dr. Arlin working on getting an I.V. inserted into his arm. He was still unconscious.

Upon seeing that Tifa had arrived, Cid left, feeling that he should be out keeping an eye on the kids.

"Janice, is he going to be all right?" Tifa asked, picking up Vincent's limp left hand.

"His heart's rhythm isn't too bad. I'll run an EKG on him in a bit, though. I just need to get this placed and then I can give him some drugs that will help out." The doctor placed the last piece of tape over the intravenous line. She then picked up a syringe and injected something through the line and into Vincent. Janice suddenly remembered something. "Is he going to panic when he wakes up and realizes where he is and what's happening?"

Tifa had watched Vincent come unglued plenty of times while under medical attention, but it seemed to have gotten better after getting his own body back. Apparently, all the months that he spent in the base's infirmary then had done something to help his phobia. "He's better about it now."

"Good, because I don't want to have to tie him down." Janice unbuttoned Vincent's shirt and began to place the electrodes for the EKG upon his chest.

Tifa watched in silence as the doctor did this and then ran the test. She didn't know the particular significance of the jagged black line that the machine printed out, and anxiously awaited the doctor's interpretation of it.

Janice ripped the strip of paper from the machine and examined it, pushing her glasses up higher on her nose in the process. She nodded knowingly. "He looks okay, but like Tseng, he will probably get worse over the years. He'll need to watch his diet and that sort of thing. I'm hoping that he doesn't drink or smoke."

Tifa frowned. "He drinks. A lot."

Janice caught her tone. She hadn't spoken with Tifa in years, and had no idea that things had gotten out of hand. "Do you think he has a problem with that?"

"He does."

"I see." Dr. Arlin stuffed the strip of paper into her pocket and looked at Tifa. "How far along are you?"

"Thirty-four weeks." Tifa placed her hands upon her stomach.

"Will Vincent be able to handle another baby in the house, in light of what you've just told me?" the doctor asked.

"He said he's going to get help." Tifa thought about how scared she'd just been a short while before. "But I don't know…he sort of lost it this morning and I don't know if I want him around at all."

Unbeknownst to them, Vincent had regained consciousness and heard this last remark. He continued to feign sleep, knowing that it would be an awkward time to do anything.

"Lost it?" Janice knit her brow. "What do you mean?"

Tifa didn't want to get into it, but she knew she had to talk about it. "We were…together this morning. Usually, he's really careful not to hurt me, but this time, it's like all of the anger that he'd been building up lately came out and he got… I'll just say he seemed to not be concerned with _not_ hurting me, at least. Then when I got away from him, he got really mad."

Janice listened to this with her usual cold, clinical expression. "Had be been drinking?"

"Yeah, a little, I guess." Tifa hung her head. "It just reminded me a little bit about the whole incident on this ship with Chaos. The look on his face at the time…it was just like that. The problem is that Chaos is gone now. So, it was Vincent, at least, I think it was, but…"

Janice came around the bed and placed her arms around Tifa. "It's okay. If you're scared of him, then you shouldn't be around him alone, Tifa. You've got to worry about yourself and the baby."

Tifa stepped back from the doctor after a few moments and then looked down at Vincent. She saw something that made her freeze in place.

Janice followed Tifa's stare to Vincent's face. There were tears streaming back from his eyes, even though he still pretended to be asleep. The doctor sighed and placed her hand on Tifa's shoulder. "Why don't you step out for a minute? There's some things that I have to do."

Tifa let go of Vincent's hand, wondering what he was thinking about what she'd just said. Grudgingly, she exited the infirmary.

Janice pulled over a chair and sat beside Vincent. "You can open your eyes now, she's gone. I know you're conscious."

Vincent rolled onto his side and faced the doctor. The tears were still in his eyes. "Janice."

"Long time, no see." She pushed her glasses up again. "So, you heard that, I'm assuming."

He nodded as best he could in his position and then flopped over onto his back. "I've done it. I've lost her. It's over now."

"Have you ever hurt her before?" the doctor asked. "I mean, aside from the Chaos incident that she mentioned?"

"No."

"Then why did you do it now?" Janice leaned forward, wanting to get to the bottom of this.

"I was angry. I just found out that she had an affair with Cid. When I was with her, I couldn't help but think about that. I let that anger get the better of me." Vincent tried to move his left arm, but noticed that he had an I.V. taped into it. "Whenever I've gotten mad, I've always left the house. I've gone off and hidden. This time…I didn't do that. I stayed. I should have left. I want to keep her, Janice, I really do, but it's like everything that I say or do from here on out is going to be wrong and just push her farther away. The things that started going through my mind this morning were horrible. I just keep thinking about her being with that fucking pilot."

"You need to see a counselor, Vincent." Janice wouldn't have been against having Vincent committed for the time being, if not for the plight of his son and what needed to be done. "When we get back to the base, I'll have one of my colleagues from town come down and deal with you. Whether or not it's too late for you and Tifa, you still have some very serious issues that you'll need to deal with."

"No, I won't have any issues to deal with if I lose Tifa." Vincent closed his eyes.

"Are you blaming her for all of your problems?" Janice asked, almost sounding angry.

"No. As I've said to both Tifa and Cid, I caused this. But if she says it's over and she doesn't let me come home after this, then there will be nothing left for me," Vincent growled.

"The threat of suicide usually doesn't get a mate to come back, Vincent. That's the oldest ploy in the book, and you know better." The doctor had spent enough time in the past dealing with the mental disturbances of the man before, and she wasn't afraid of him.

Vincent sat up and looked over at her, cocking an eyebrow. "Threat?"

Janice got up, not willing to play his games. "You just had a heart attack, lay down."

Vincent didn't comply. Instead, he reached over and ripped the I.V. line from his arm, causing blood to run from the site. He placed his hand over the spot, to try and curb the blood flow, but it just seeped between his fingers.

"Nice going." Janice went over and retrieved a small bandage. She came back to Vincent's side and placed it over the catheter site, stopping the bleeding. "You're going to have one hell of a nice bruise there now. Go to the sink and wash up."

Vincent suddenly felt his usual wash of guilt come over him and he shuffled over to the small sink, cleaning the blood from his hand and arm. Once that was done, he faced the doctor again. "So, I have the same problem that Tseng had?"

"It would appear so."

"So now what?" Vincent remained near the sink. There was still a tightness in his chest, but the outright pain was gone.

"You need to take it easy. I'll give you some pills to keep with you, that you can use if you feel another one come on. At some point, you may need surgery like your brother did." Janice went over to a cabinet and retrieved the medication.

"I'm going with ASRIO to go on a mission to get my son, Janice. I can't exactly take it easy." Vincent crossed his arms over his chest, frustrated with the whole situation.

"Then you, like Tseng, may end up dead because you refused to let others handle things. I'm not going to argue with you about it, since you're just as stubborn as he was. You'll keep going right along until you drop dead. Here's the medication. Put one under your tongue if you start to feel chest pain again." Janice held out the bottle to him.

Vincent took it, knowing that he had to ask something that would reveal another weakness of his to the doctor. "There's no interactions with these with other medications, right?"

Janice narrowed her eyes. "What are you on?"

"Sendibril," Vincent replied quietly.

The doctor raised her eyebrows. "You have seizures?"

He nodded.

Janice pursed her lips for a second. "There shouldn't be a problem with the two drugs reacting, Vincent."

"Okay." Vincent slipped the pill vial into his pocket. "I need to go get my things so we can get on our way to the base."

"All right. Find me tonight so I can just check on your heart, okay?" Janice walked with him to the door.

"I will." Vincent gave her a brief smile before stepping out.

On the other side of it stood Tifa. She'd remained out here with her ear pressed against the door, listening to everything that had been said. Briefly, she met Vincent's gaze, but he quickly looked away and passed by her.

Tifa followed him, wanting to say something, but afraid at the same time.

Before he stepped out of the airship, he stopped and turned to her. He knit his brow. "I'm just going to go get a few things from the house, and then I'm going to go."

"But just for four weeks, right?" Tifa stepped closer to him, knowing that she had nothing to fear for the moment.

He just stared at her blankly. "You said you didn't want me around anymore at all."

"Vincent, we still have a baby on the way, and a son." She reached out and placed her hand upon his chest. "Even if things were to fail between us, we're still going to have to deal with each other. You can't just abandon your kids, Vincent."

"I can't abandon my son. We don't really know if the one you're carrying is mine." Vincent looked at her hand placed upon him. "You're right, though. I couldn't just disappear from his life. Even if you don't want me around anymore. You…you don't want me around anymore, correct?"

"I don't know right now, Vincent. I think we both have a lot of thinking to do while you're gone." Tifa looked sad. "Even though you just had a heart attack, you're still going, right?"

By the tone of her question, he realized that she really didn't want him to, demonstrating the fact that she still did want him on some level. "Yes, I'm going."

"Okay. Four weeks, right?"

He nodded shallowly. "Four weeks. Then we can talk. I'm sure I'll have calmed down a little by then."

"You'd better go pack." Tifa let her hand fall away from him.

Vincent leaned forward and gave her a quick kiss on the lips before turning and heading back to the house.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

They went back into the house, finding Cid sitting in front of the television with the two boys. He watched as Tifa disappeared into the bedroom with Vincent again, not looking pleased with the fact.

Tifa went and sat on the edge of the bed as Vincent went to the closet and pulled out his suitcase. He placed it next to her and opened it.

She watched as he began to retrieve things from the dresser and placed them in the suitcase. Tifa realized that he was doing this a lot slower than he normally would have, and she knew that he was delaying, possibly in the hopes of her saying something to reassure him. This was all killing her, and she cracked. "Vincent?"

He stopped moving, clutching the shirt in his hands to his chest. His eyes met hers with some faint feeling. "Yeah?"

"Come here."

Vincent complied, and tossed the shirt in his hands into the suitcase before kneeling in front of her. He stared up into her eyes and placed his hands upon her knees.

Tifa reached forward and ran a hand though his hair. "I still love you."

He dropped his gaze away, not sure if she was telling him the truth anymore. Somehow, he couldn't shake the feeling that when he came home from this mission, that she would tell him that he wasn't welcome any longer. Vincent knew, however, that bringing up this doubt now would do no more than drive one more nail into their marriage's coffin. "I love you, too."

"Vincent, look at me."

He did.

"Promise me that you won't die on this mission." Tifa placed her hands upon his shoulders.

__

That's a promise I just can't make, Tifa, he thought to himself silently. "I'll try not to."

"Vincent, you had a heart attack today, don't you think--" She found her words cut off as he placed a finger against her lips. He tended to do that when he wanted her to stop.

"I'm aware of what happened to me today, Tifa, and I know the risks. We can sit here and argue about it, but I'm going, so let's not. Besides, you do need a break from me so you can think about things. Dr. Arlin is going to see that I get some help once I'm at the ASRIO base, and I can start sorting things out for myself. It's probably not a bad thing that we're going to be apart for a while. Maybe with a little distance between us, we can think a little more clearly. Obviously, being together right now is just going to result in us fighting. We're making our son miserable by doing that. He deserves better, Tifa, and if that means that you and I shouldn't be together anymore, then that's just the way it is. For now, though, we don't have to make any decisions until I come back." Vincent looked away from her eyes again, letting his hand fall from her mouth. "Besides, you and Cid… you two need this time together. It may be the last chance the two of you have to be alone and talk. I know you love him, Tifa, and I know that the two of you need to get as much time with one another as possible between now and when he dies. It's important to you, and I'm not going to stand in your way."

Tifa blinked back the tears. "Thanks, Vincent."

He nodded and got back up. Vincent went to the closet and opened it again, pulling a large black case from the top shelf. He set it on the bed, on the opposite side of Tifa from his suitcase. His fingers quickly ran over the combination lock on it, and a click was heard. Vincent pulled up the top of the box and looked down within, a smile coming to his lips.

There, before him, was a sight he hadn't lain eyes upon since moving to this house. The chromed barrel of his Death Penalty gleamed in the light, polished to perfection before having been locked away. Vincent hadn't touched this gun in all this time, opting instead to take his smaller 9mm with him to the firing range on a weekly basis. This gun was just far too powerful for casual target practice. He reached in and took it up in his right hand, it's weight and balance still perfectly familiar after all this time.

Tifa sat and watched him as he handled the weapon. His movements with it were always so fluid and gentle. His eyes narrowed as he dropped the clip from it, checking to see that it was all in working order and still loaded. Observing him while he did this, Tifa came to appreciate that _this_ was the Vincent that she'd fallen in love with. For the moment, he was the Vincent of all those years back. She suddenly remembered something and got up from the bed.

Vincent turned his attention from the gun and over to his wife as she went and got onto the floor, pulling a wrapped box out from under the bed. "What's that?"

She got back up, holding the package before her. "It's your anniversary present. I've been looking for it for a long time, years in fact. When I finally saw it in a shop while we went on that trip to New Nibelhiem, I bought it and have been hiding it ever since. I guess I should give it to you now, just in case."

__

Just in case I never come back, or just in case I do and you don't want me anymore, Tifa? Vincent's eyes almost gave away his thought. "Really?"

She disregarded his expression and held it out to him. "I'd like to see you with it on, before you go."

Now his curiosity was piqued. He gingerly placed his gun back down and took the box from her. It was fairly heavy and he wondered what could be inside it. Vincent knelt down on the ground and set the box before him, and started to tear the red paper away.

Tifa got down onto the floor in front of him, having her hands clasped together over her chest. She hoped that his reaction would be a favorable one. After all, he'd seemed rather attached to the old one.

With the paper cast aside, Vincent slowly lifted the top off of the box. There was a layer of red tissue paper within, obscuring what was inside. He glanced up at Tifa for a moment, seeing that she was far more excited about this than he felt. After flashing her a quick smile, he reached down and pulled away the paper.

Vincent caught his breath. He let his hands reach down and feel the red fabric before him. "You…you found another one?"

"Yeah." Tifa's smile widened.

Vincent pulled the cloak out of the box and stood up. The one that he'd worn before had been the one thing, other than his gun, that he'd held onto after waking up from stasis fourteen years before. His old cloak had been destroyed seven years ago, during one of Chaos' breakouts. "I don't know what to say, Tifa."

She got up, too. "Is it okay? Do you like it?"

He kept his eyes fixed upon his gift, continuing to hold it before him. "Yeah…I do."

"Put it on," she requested quietly.

Vincent looked at her and cocked an eyebrow. He then flashed her another smile and then flipped loose all five buckles upon it before throwing it around his shoulders.

Tifa watched on. She could appreciate the fact that his whole posture seemed to change as he donned the cloak. He seemed taller, more confident beneath it.

Vincent reclosed the first three buckles of the cloak, in the way that he'd worn the previous one most of the time. With that done, he met Tifa's stare again. His expression was blank for the moment, as he wondered what she was thinking.

Seeing him there like he was, wearing the cloak and behind it, his classic detached expression, struck something within her. She took a few steps toward him, reached out, and tugged gently on one of his tresses. "I've missed you."

How she could miss him when he'd never gone anywhere he found odd, and his eyes narrowed. Then he realized what she meant. She'd missed who he had been, both seven and fourteen years back. The man he'd become over the last few years was not the man she'd known, the man she'd fallen in love with. Tifa had been longing for the old Vincent, and even if he didn't quite feel like he used to, for the moment, he at least looked the part. Without smiling, or displaying any feeling at all, he reached out and pulled her to him. Vincent closed his eyes and enjoyed the embrace for all it was worth.

Tifa nuzzled into him, appreciating the fact that he was going to humor her by putting forth his old air at least for a while. "Vincent…"

He looked down at her, his eyes only half opened at the moment. The old Vincent wouldn't have said anything in response, so he didn't.

She let herself give in to the fantasy that the last several years hadn't happened. Tifa tilted her head up and closed her eyes, indicating that she wanted a kiss from him.

Vincent reached up and placed his right hand behind her neck, and let his lips meet hers. When he heard her sigh, he held her to him tighter and invaded her mouth.

Tifa felt tears in her eyes again. Despite everything, she still loved him. Part of her hated this fact. With things as they had been recently, Tifa truly felt that she shouldn't want him anymore, but her heart disagreed. When his lips left hers for a moment, she opened her eyes and stared up at him. "Vincent?"

He just cocked an eyebrow in response.

"If you promise to be careful, we can try again." Her voice wavered as she said this.

Vincent knit his brow for a moment, not sure if it was a good idea or not. Then again, he was a man and refusing such an offer seemed ridiculous.

Tifa found herself kissing him again, and he gently guided her to sit on the edge of the bed. He knelt before her, undoing the buckles to his cloak, but keeping it around his shoulders. Once more he kissed her, and let his hands undo the waist to her shorts.

She lifted herself up from the bed for a moment, so that he could free her of her clothing, before retaking her position. Tifa felt his hands upon her knees again, slowly drawing them apart.

Vincent then moved closer to her and put one of his hands on the center of her chest, pushing her back carefully.

This far along in pregnancy, being on her back like this wasn't the most comfortable thing in the world, but the number of positions that she could be in for the act at this point were limited. Tifa closed her eyes when she felt his hands upon her legs again.

Vincent let his hands explore her for several moments, pleased that she began to respond to him quickly. He smiled as he watched her writhe before him, and he decided to do what she really liked.

Tifa gasped when she felt him begin to work her with his mouth. While he made a habit of this being part of foreplay generally, during both of her pregnancies, he'd not done it much. Something about her during those times seemed to hold him off from this, so the fact that he was actually doing it now told her that he really was trying to make her happy. When she felt control beginning to slip away she sat up slightly and pushed him back.

He looked up into her eyes, hoping that this meant that she was ready, because he certainly was.

She gave him a faint smile. "Now, Vincent."

Having her permission, he once more freed himself of his jeans and straightened up. As she laid back flat on the bed, he placed his hands on either side of her hips and carefully got to the task. Out of character, he kept his eyes opened and he looked down upon Tifa as he went. Seeing that she was keeping her eyes closed, he quietly asked, "Tifa, look at me."

She wasn't used to watching him when they did this. The two of them had always been a little shy about the whole thing, despite having been together for so many years. Yet, she knew why he was asking and she obliged. Tifa met his gaze, seeing his approval of this clearly in his expression.

With her looking into his eyes, Vincent knew that there was no way that she could be thinking about anyone but him now. Having this reassurance, Vincent's motions became slightly more forceful, but he was still careful not to hurt her.

Tifa's hands grasped at the sheets beneath her as she gave in and felt herself thrown over the edge. "Vincent…"

He could feel her achieve her goal, and he finally closed his eyes, as he too finished. As he had always done, he remained completely silent throughout.

With it over, Tifa sat back up and put her arms around him. She had so much to say to him, but knew that it was time for him to go, and she would have to wait until he came home, _if_ he came home. "Be careful."

Vincent eventually pulled out of her embrace and stood up, getting his jeans on properly again. "I will."

Tifa got her shorts back on, resigning to take a shower after he'd left. There just wasn't enough time for that now. She looked on as he strapped his holster to his hip and then put his gun within it. Seeing him standing there with the cloak on and the gun hanging at his side made her smile.

Vincent closed his suitcase and smiled back at her. "Four weeks, Tifa. It's not that long."

She nodded shallowly. "I know."

He turned and put his arms around her again. Vincent kissed her sweetly and then picked up his luggage, ready to go to the airship.

He opened the door and left the room, Tifa following behind him. When they got to the family room, they found Cid still sitting there before the television with the boys. Seeing that Vincent had packed, Cid got up. "Going, huh?"

"Yeah."

Cid came to him, his hands shoved into his pockets. He glanced over at Tifa. "Hey, can you give us a second?"

Tifa nodded and went over to where the boys were sitting.

Cid walked with Vincent out onto the porch, the airship still resting out in the front yard. The pilot turned to Vincent. "You're really gonna do this?"

"I have no choice, Cid. They have my son." Vincent set his suitcase down for the moment.

"Right, I know." Cid frowned. "I've got a bad feeling about this whole thing, Sue."  
"I think we all do."

His blue eyes narrowed momentarily. "Like I said earlier, you can't die. I'm not going to be able to be around much longer, so I can't take care of Tifa like she'll need if something happens to you."

Vincent nodded. "Give me your word that nothing is going to happen between Tifa and you."

"As long as you're alive, nothing will happen between her and me." Cid crossed his arms over his chest. If Vincent were to be killed, Cid really didn't feel like he'd have anything to lose by trying his luck with Tifa during his last few months alive.

"That's the best motivation for living that I've heard thus far, Cid." Vincent actually smiled.

Cid became uncomfortable and he scratched the back of his head, turning his gaze to the ground. "Okay, well, I guess I'll say goodbye then, and I'll go get Tifa for you."

"All right. Goodbye, Cid."

The pilot didn't move. If this was going to be that last time that he saw Vincent, then there was something that he needed to do. He stepped forward, and after a moment of hesitation, he took Vincent into his arms. "Take care, Sunshine."

Vincent submitted to the embrace, and put his arms around the pilot in return. This wasn't the first time that the two men had done this, but it had never gotten any more comfortable. "I will. Take care of Tifa and the boys."

"Okay." Cid stepped back and nodded. "See ya'."

Vincent watched after him as he went back into the house. A few seconds later, Aaron and Tifa emerged.

Aaron came up to him and grabbed the edge of the red cloak. "Cool."

Vincent cocked an eyebrow. "Thanks. Your mother got it for me."

"Dad," Aaron looked up into his father's eyes, "you're coming back, right?"

"I intend to," Vincent replied, dropping to his knee so he could be on his son's level.

The boy glanced back over his shoulder at his mom for a second, before facing Vincent again. "You're not just leaving because of the fighting?"

Vincent laughed. "No, Aaron. I'm going to go help your brother. He's in trouble, you know that."

Aaron thought about his considerably older brother for a moment. "Jaras is old enough to take care of himself. Why do you have to go?"

"I just do." Vincent reached out and put his hand on his boy's shoulder. "You behave while I'm gone, understand?"

"Yeah."

"Good." Vincent embraced his son for a few minutes, realizing that it could be the last time. If nothing else, he wanted his kid's last memory of him to be pleasant. Eventually, he brought Aaron back out to arm's length. "Go on in now, so I can say goodbye to your mother."

"Okay." Aaron started for the door. "Bye."

"Bye," Vincent said back, standing again.

Now alone with her husband, Tifa stepped up to him. "Well, I guess this is it."

He nodded. "Yeah."

She put her arms around him and gazed into his eyes. "I don't know what to say… It's like we went over everything already."

"I know." Vincent cocked his head to the side. "I'm sorry about everything, and this morning. It had nothing to do with Chaos, that was just be being more of a jerk than usual. I hope…I hope that when I come home, you'll be able to forgive me."

Tifa just silently smiled, knowing that if she said anything that she'd break down and begin to cry.

Vincent kissed her and then stepped back. He placed his hands on the sides of her stomach. The baby, for once, wasn't moving. "You need to take care of yourself, Tifa. Whatever you have to do to make yourself happy…that's what you have to do. If that means dumping me, then so be it."

Her attempt to keep her composure failed, and the tears came. "Oh Vincent…"

"It's all right. Do what you have to do." He leaned forward and kissed her lightly upon the lips. "I've got to go now."

Tifa had to fight the urge to cling to him and hold him back from going. She watched as he picked up his suitcase.

Vincent flashed her one last, pathetic smile before stepping off the porch and walking over to the airship. Before he got onboard, he looked back one more time and waved at Tifa.

She raised her hand back at him, and watched him disappear from view. Within a few minutes, the airship's engines fired up. Tifa felt someone's arm drop around her shoulders, and without looking, she knew it was Cid.

The two of them remained there and watched the airship lift back up into the air.

-------------------

From a window on the bridge, Vincent looked out as the ground began to get farther away. He saw Cid standing there holding his wife, and he hoped beyond hope that things would go well, and that Tifa would still be there for him when this was all done with.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the pill vial that Janice had given him. Quickly, he had one of the tiny white tablets placed under his tongue. Vincent wasn't sure if the pain in his chest was from his heart condition or just his emotions, but he opted not to take any risk.

-------------------

Jaras had been taken out of the van and placed onto a helicopter several hours ago. Even though he never saw it, he could tell that it was a much nicer machine than the crude old military chopper that he'd ridden in with ASRIO. This was quieter, smoother, and the seats actually had some padding to them.

Now, he felt the helicopter set down, and he heard the engines cut. The men around him began to move. His legs had been untied at one point during the flight, and he felt someone grab his arm and lead him from the chopper.

He was taken into a building, and brought into an elevator. After a long ride, he was walked for a short distance, pushed forward, and heard some sort of door closed behind him.

"Now, take a few steps backward until your arms are against the bars, and I'll take off the cuffs," the mystery man said.

Jaras complied, eager to be free of the restraints after countless hours in them. It would feel good to be able to move his arms again. He felt someone manipulate the cuffs, and quickly they were pulled from his wrists.

His shoulders ached as he moved his arms from behind his back. At first, he wasn't able to move his elbows at all, and couldn't take off the blindfold. A few minutes later, and his arms finally cooperated. Jaras pulled off the blindfold and looked around.

He was in a cage. It was a large cage, but a cage nonetheless. In the center of it was a mattress, and in the corner, a sink and toilet. The cage was in the middle of a large room, filled with various pieces of equipment and thanks to the return of his memory seven years ago, he realized he was in a place not much different than Hojo's lab.

"I hope it's acceptable," the mystery man said.

Jaras turned around slowly, fearing whom he would see. The man standing outside of the cage was slightly shorter than Jaras. He had closely cropped dark hair, and wore a typical Shinra issued lab coat. The scientist had on a pair of silver framed glasses. For some reason, all the important researchers for the company seemed to have bad eyesight.

"Who are you and why am I here?" Jaras asked, rubbing his aching wrists.

"I'm sorry, I should have introduced myself before." He flashed a smile. "I am Doctor Peirte Methius. I'm the head of experimental research for Shinra."

Jaras swallowed hard. This was his worst nightmare. "What do you want me for?"

"Well, when I found out that you were alive, I was intrigued. It would seem that all of your power and strength left you after your considerable immersion in the lifestream. It made me wonder what effects that had upon you, and if you could be re-inoculated with Jenova. I wish to see if I can restore you, Sephiroth." He smiled again, and it seemed insincere.

Jaras went to the bars that separated him from the scientist. "Please, I'm not Sephiroth…there's been a mistake."

"We don't make mistakes, Sephiroth." Dr. Methius came closer to Jaras. "We can make you great again."

"I just want to go home and live in peace. Why can't you just let me live my life?" Jaras grabbed the bars before him.

"Do you honestly wish to keep going on like this? Weak? Vulnerable? Is that how you wish to spend your life?" the doctor asked.

Before a few days ago, the fact that he was no more than an average man hadn't bothered him. He never once had rued the loss of his superiority-- or at least he hadn't until the day before. The humiliation and misery he'd suffered last night burned through him.

Peirte cocked an eyebrow when he saw Jaras' expression darken. "You do miss it, don't you?"

Jaras had never been a good liar. Then again, he hadn't much had the occasion to practice. "N…no."

The researcher smiled. "I think you do, and I think I know why. Hatley and Graff are sent on all the missions to reclaim errant lab specimens. I have examined those that they've brought back, and I'm afraid to report that they have a nasty habit of imposing themselves upon their prisoners in the most inappropriate fashion."

Jaras felt his face flush as the scientist called it. He hung his head and sighed, his shoulders heaving slightly.

Methius saw his reaction to this and knew that he'd struck a chord. "Yes, you have my sympathy, you truly do, Sephiroth. Such a thing for someone like you must have been unbearable."

Jaras didn't flinch at all as he was called by his old name yet again. He was feeling sick to his stomach at the memory. "Unbearable…"

The door to the room opened, and a young assistant entered. "Dr. Methius?"

He turned around. "Yes, Derek?"

"I just got word that you'd come back." Derek came closer, his eyes going wide upon seeing Sephiroth in the cage. "Wow, is that really..?"

"Yes, Derek, it is." Peirte turned back to the prisoner. "One and the same. We need to show him our hospitality."

"I can't believe you brought him _here_!" Derek stopped a few feet away. "Why didn't you have him taken to one of the big labs? I mean, aren't they more secure?"

Jaras looked up. This had his attention.

"More secure, yes, also more apt to have been infiltrated by ASRIO, and of higher visibility." Peirte faced his assistant again. "I'd imagine that Toskin is around here somewhere?"

Derek nodded at the mention of the scientist's personal Turk. "Yeah. He's pretty steamed that you went out to meet the pick up team without him, Sir."

Methius smiled faintly. "I was with four SOLDIERs, he had nothing to worry about."

"Well, he is responsible for you," Derek couldn't take his eyes off the prisoner.

Peirte walked past the younger man, chuckling to himself. "Yes, I know. He's a little tight up."

Derek nodded. "Yeah, he is."

"Well, if you don't mind, keep an eye on our guest here for a moment, and see to it that his needs are met. I'm sure that he's hungry. There's some sandwiches in the fridge." Peirte continued toward the door.

Derek looked disgusted. "In the fridge in here? With the lab samples and stuff?"

"Is there another fridge in here that I should be made aware of, Derek?"

He smiled to himself. "No, Sir."

"Good then. I'll be back in a while." With that, Peirte walked out through the lab doors, which locked behind him.

Now alone with the prisoner, Derek went all the way up to the bars, showing no fear. He leaned close to Jaras and met his eyes. "Listen to me very carefully, all right?"

Jaras raised his eyebrows. This didn't seem to be the action of the usual Shinra employee. He should be afraid of him, not daring to come this close. "What?"

"I'm a agent, Jaras."

This was the best thing Jaras had heard in a long time. "ASRIO?"

"Yes." Derek smiled briefly. "I'll let them know where you're at, but you can't let on to anyone about what I am. Understand?"

He just nodded. "Where are we?"

"Auxillary lab in Junon."

Jaras hadn't thought they'd gone that far. "Okay. How long until they can get me?"

"That I don't know." Derek took a step back. "I'll make contact with my handler tonight. It shouldn't be long. Be strong, and don't do anything to upset Methius. He's dangerous."

"All right." Jaras managed a weak smile. Although Peirte had seemed far better than Hojo thus far, he was aware that he shouldn't expect anything good out of anyone that was this involved in the company. "Thanks. Any chance of getting any of those sandwiches?"

"Sure thing."

-------------------

Vincent was lying on the bed in his cabin on the airship, staring up at the ceiling. He had his red cloak that Tifa had given him before leaving draped over him. Agonizing over all that had come out over the last few days, he'd found it impossible to get up and leave his room at all, even though he knew that Janice had wanted him to return to the sick bay to get checked out.

A knock came to his door and without moving or sitting up, he just called out, "Come in."

The door opened, and the doctor stepped in. "I do believe that I gave you an order earlier, Vincent."

He didn't so much as look at her. "I lost track of time."

Janice came over and sat at his side. "No, you lost track of yourself."

Vincent knit his brow and turned her eyes at her. She had aged considerably over the last few years. Her light brown hair was now riddled with gray, and the lines on her face had deepened.

She saw that he was studying her, and wasn't particularly thrilled with it. She reached into her pocket and pulled out some small device. "Unbutton your shirt."

"What?"

Janice gave him a stern look. "Unbutton your shirt. This is a portable EKG. I need to check on your heart."

"I feel fine, Dr. Arlin," Vincent shot back, not feeling that it was needed.

Janice sighed to herself, pulled the cloak from his body, and got to the task of undoing his shirt herself.

Vincent was taken a little aback by this, and let her proceed. He knew that she wouldn't leave until she'd gotten what she'd come for, so he might as well submit.

This small machine only had three electrodes, and she quickly placed them on his chest, and then took her reading. She examined the small display screen and nodded. "It looks fine."

"I told you I was all right."

Janice clenched her jaw and then reached over, grabbing the three wires connected to the machine, and pulled back sharply, ripping the adhesive electrodes from Vincent's chest in one painful motion.

Vincent sat up and scowled at her, the sting of the electrodes having been so rudely torn from his skin lingering. "That was not entirely necessary."

She got up from his side, and stared down at him. "Vincent, I hate to say this, but your attitude sucks. You've changed."

His jaw went slack as he glared back at her, getting to the task of buttoning his shirt back up. "Excuse me? Commenting on _my _attitude? That's the pot calling the kettle black, Janice."

"Maybe, but it's true." She started for the door. "You will come by the sick bay in the morning for another EKG."

Not responding, he just watched her leave. Having to deal with the people working for ASRIO without Tifa around to distract him wasn't going to be a whole lot of fun.

-------------------

Toward dinnertime, Tifa and Cid took their sons to a pizza place in town. They'd handed the boys enough money to keep them occupied with the various games in the building for a while, and they sat at the table, staring at one another.

Cid looked at Tifa's plate, appreciating the fact that she hadn't eaten much. "Not hungry 'cause of being pregnant? Shera couldn't handle spicy stuff at all when she was as far along as you."

She decided to lie and not admit that she just wasn't hungry due to her nerves over being with him, alone. "Yeah, I get heartburn."

"You should have said something, Tiff. We could've gone somewhere else." Cid rested his elbows on the table, after stifling a cough.

Now that she knew what was going on within him, each of his small bouts of coughing cut at her. She forced a smile. "No, this is fine. The kids are having a good time."

"Yeah, I'm glad they like each other. Who would have thought that a kid of mine and one of Sue's could get along so well?" Cid said, smiling.

"Especially considering that both of them are carbon copies of their fathers," Tifa added, looking over to where the boys were playing.

Cid laughed, making himself cough again for a moment. "Yeah, they sure are. You think Sunshine was a spooky kid?"

Tifa raised her eyebrows. "Are you saying that Aaron's spooky?"

Smiling awkwardly, Cid tried to shrug it off. "Naw, just that, you know. Vincent's weird, in case you haven't noticed."

"I've noticed." Tifa pushed her plate back and sank back into the booth. "I don't know what to do, Cid."

He leaned over the table. "What do you mean?"

"Vincent and I…" She met Cid's gaze again. "We need to reconcile, for Aaron… for L.C., and I still love him, but sometimes…I don't know."

Cid narrowed his eyes for a moment. "Tifa, do you really love him, or are you hanging on to him in the hopes that he'll be the man you want him to actually be someday?"

She just looked back at him.

"Look, Tifa, you stayed with Cloud for all of those years, even though you weren't happy, hoping that he'd snap out of it and start being the man you wanted. Then, Vincent comes along, manages to pull you away from that, but lands you into yet another relationship with someone just as flawed and mentally ill as Cloud was. I've sat here all these years watching this whole thing. At first, you really did seem happy with Vincent, unlike the act that you'd been putting on with Cloud, but as the years have gone by, I've seen that same phony 'I'm happy, Cid' act click back on. It's pissed me off, Tifa. You let yourself be miserable." He leaned back, letting his hands fall to his lap. "I've stood by through all of this, wondering why you'd keep putting yourself through this. You've needed a man that wasn't so damned wishy-washy. A man that knew who in the fuck he was, and wasn't going to drag you through hell and back as he tried to 'find himself', or whatever is wrong with Vincent, and before that, Cloud."

Tifa felt tears in her eyes and picked up a napkin from the table to blot them away, knowing that Cid didn't want to see her cry.

He saw her do this, and he left his side of the booth and went to hers, draping his arm around her shoulders. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you, but it's the truth, Tifa."

"What was it that you were thinking when we were together seven and a half months ago, Cid?" she asked.

Cid held her tighter. "I'll be honest with you. Knowing that you'd been unhappy with Cloud and had agreed to take off with Vincent before you knew that he'd killed himself, part of me hoped that you'd do that again and leave Vincent for me."

She didn't know what to say. "Oh…"

"But it didn't work, because apparently you were still more attached to Vincent than you had been to Cloud." Cid pulled his arm away from her, the fact that his feelings had been seriously hurt that night creeping up on him. "That was stupid, though. You never actually told me that you loved me, other than as a friend."

"I…Cid, if I thought that it could have worked out between us, I would have," she admitted, fidgeting with the napkin still in her grip.

"After the bullshit that both of those guys put you through, you weren't sure if you could get along with _me_? Come on, Tifa, I know I can be a pain in the ass, but at least I'm consistent and predictable. You know that every morning when I wake up, that I'm going to be the same old Cid, day in and day out. That means that if I'm going to say that I love you and that if I'm going to treat you right today, that I'll still do it tomorrow and the next day." Cid leaned onto the table, not wanting her to see the expression that he wore. "Like I told you that night, Tifa, I love you, always have, always will. I'd do anything for you. Sad thing is, now that your marriage is finally at the breaking point, I find myself sitting here without a chance in hell. Not because there's some other angsty fuck standing in the wings to steal you away, but because I'm dying. It all seems like a cruel God damned joke. I hope the universe is having a good laugh at my expense."

Tifa turned so she could look at him. To hear him say all this broke her heart. "I'm sorry… Cid, I love you, you know that, but I still love Vincent. I wish I could make these last four months that you've got the best of your life, and if it wasn't for Vincent, I would Cid, I really would. But as long as he's still around, and as long as I still feel something for him in my heart, I owe it to our son to try."

"I know." Cid's voice betrayed the fact that he was choking up. "And that's why I feel like such an ass for what happened, Tifa. I had no right."

She couldn't let him take all the blame. "Cid, I told you that you could, it's just as much my fault."

He shook his head. "No. If I'd kept my mouth shut, it wouldn't have gotten that far in the first place."

Tifa fell silent. They seemed to be at some sort of crossroads in their relationship. Their feelings for one another were now out on the table, and nothing would ever be the same. When she saw him wipe tears away from his eyes, she put her arms around him and nestled into his side. "It would have been easier on both of us if I'd just ended up with you."

To hear her say this just made him feel worse. "But you wouldn't have Aaron, Tifa. Think about it."

This was true. The boy was the center of her universe, and she couldn't imagine being without him. "We could have had children of our own."

"I never wanted any more kids. I didn't even intentionally set out to make that one," he said, pointing over at L.C. "So I don't think that would have happened."

Tifa took one of his hands and placed it upon her stomach. "Well, it might have anyway."

Cid turned and stared down where she'd placed his hand. He felt the baby move within. "Both Vincent and I sat there denying the fact that it could be either of ours. I didn't finish, and he used… you know, you were there."

"Well, you two are the only one's I've been with, Cid. One of you did it." Tifa smiled awkwardly.

"Are you sure?"

Tifa's eyes went wide at the mere suggestion. "Are you serious?"

"Come on, Tifa. You know I don't think that you did, but the chances of it being mine in light of how our encounter went, and the fact that Vincent told me he used protection every single time, raises the question." Cid looked down at her.

She pulled away from him, frowning. "It's either yours or Vincent's, and if it isn't, then it's the second coming of Christ, Cid. I haven't been with anyone but you and Vincent. Who else would I have slept with?"

"I don't know. I'm not around all the time. Maybe you've got other male friends," he said.

"No, I don't have any other male friends that I ever see. Besides, I have only ever had consensual sex with men I've been in love with, Cid. That means you and Vincent. I'm not some whore of a housewife that screws every guy that drives by." She crossed her arms over her chest, angry.

Something about this statement hit the pilot hard. "So, you _really_ do love me? Not just like that, 'Oh Cid, you're such a super friend,' sort of way?"

"Why is it that when I tell a guy that I love them, they always think I'm joking or just fucking with them?" Tifa shot back, looking upset.

Cid fell silent for a few moments. When they'd been together, she hadn't outright said that she loved him, but she had now and she'd meant it. That's why she'd let him touch her, but she also loved Vincent, which had made her force him to stop. Things were never simple. "I'm sorry, Tifa."

"I've heard that more times in the last few days than I can count." Her voice still kept its edge.

"Yeah, but I mean it." Cid moved closer to her again. The fact that he now knew beyond a question of a doubt that she cared for him, in fact, loved him, tore him apart. He wanted badly to put his arms around her, and he let himself go right ahead and do so.

Tifa gave in and rested against him, wishing that this was all just some terrible dream.

Over at the video games, Aaron looked over his shoulder back at his mother, seeing her within the pilot's arms. He poked L.C. in the shoulder. "Hey."

The blond boy looked at him, not pleased with having his attention pulled from the game. "The heck? You just made me lose!"

"Forget the game, look," Aaron said quietly, pointing at their parents.

L.C.'s eyes went wide when he saw Cid and Tifa in each other's arms. He had no idea about the affair they'd had. "Ew, that's gross."

Aaron's dark eyes narrowed. "Your dad needs to learn how to keep his hands to himself."

"They're just friends, Spaz." L.C. turned back around, intending to restart the game. Just like his father, he had a tendency to rename others as he saw fit. 'Spaz' was Aaron's pet name.

"No, they're not." Aaron's voice was quiet.

L.C. scowled and faced the other boy again. "What?"

"I saw them do it."

"Huh?" Although L.C. was the eldest of the two, he didn't understand.

"I saw them do _it_," Aaron growled.

L.C.'s expression turned to shock. "No way! They wouldn't do that!"

"I saw it," Aaron said coolly.

"Shut up! You did not!" L.C. grew angry that the other boy would make up such a thing. "My dad wouldn't!"

"He did."

"Shut up, Spaz!" L.C. pushed Aaron away from him.

Tifa and Cid's attention was drawn when they heard the boys raise their voices. They looked just in time to see Cid's son knock Aaron to the ground.

"Damn it, not them too." Cid got up quickly and strode over to the boys, Tifa following along.

The pilot stood before his boy with his hands on his hips. "You wanna explain all this to me?"

L.C.'s eyes went wide, knowing that he was in trouble. "Aaron was teasing me."

Tifa crossed her arms over her chest and locked gazes with her son. "Aaron?"

He glanced over at the other boy. "Sorry."

"You know better than to push people, kid." Cid continued to loom over his boy.

"I know. I'm sorry, Spaz." L.C. flashed a look at the other boy.

"It's okay," Aaron sighed back.

Tifa looked at Cid. "It's getting late, we should probably head back. I bet they're just tired."

"Right. Let's go." Cid grabbed L.C.'s hand and started for the door.

-------------------

Once back at the house, the boys were sent off to bed. Cid and Tifa sat in the kitchen at the table, each having a cup of tea before turning in. Tifa had made the kind Cid actually liked, knowing that Vincent's stash of Wutain tea was far too strong for the pilot's tastes.

They were sitting on the same side of the table, in the same seats they'd been in that fateful night.

Tifa set her cup on the table. "Cid, you don't think the boys were fighting because they saw you and Vincent going at it yesterday, do you?"

He shrugged. "Hell, how should I know. Boys fight."

"Yeah, but Aaron and L.C. have never fought," Tifa sighed. "They give each other a hard time once in a while, but I've never seen them lay a hand on one another."

"Yeah," Cid replied, then taking another sip. "Well, with all of us adults under stress and upset, I guess it figures that the kids would probably pick up on it and act out."

"Right."

"So, we've got to really watch how we act and what we say around them. We can't make 'em suffer for our bullshit," Cid said.

"Yeah." Tifa smiled over at him. "You know, you've been a really great dad to L.C., Cid. A lot of guys wouldn't have been able to hold it together over the years like you have. I can't say I approve of your son's language sometimes, but other than that, you've raised a really great kid. I mean, you're even home schooling the kid and doing a good enough job that he's acing all the tests they give him."

Cid grinned and flushed red from the compliment. "Thanks."

"No, really." Tifa placed her hand over his. "I think some of us had reservations about how you would handle being a single father, but you've surprised everyone, even me."

Cid's smile faltered. "I just wish I could finish the job, you know? Getting him to seven was better than nothing, but I would have liked to have been around for other things. Like his first date, getting his pilot's license, that sort of crap. I think I would have made a pretty kick ass granddad, too."

Tifa tightened her grip on his hand. "You would, yeah."

Cid heard the tears in her voice and looked into her eyes. "Can I be honest with you? And you have to promise not to laugh."

"Of course."

"Tifa, I'm scared." Cid looked down to where their hands were touching. "I'm fucking terrified."

Although it was obvious, Tifa had to ask, "Of dying?"

"Yeah." Cid frowned. "Well, I guess it's more that I'm scared about what I'm going to go through before I die. Once I actually die, I guess I won't care about much."

Her eyes immediately burned. She didn't want to think about him dying, it hurt too much. "Maybe… maybe they made a mistake, Cid. Maybe you aren't that sick."

She was grasping at straws and he knew it. "No. They took the x-ray and then did some needle biopsies of some of my lymph nodes. It's all over."

Tifa's shoulders heaved as she gave in and cried. "Cid…I don't want to lose you."

He pulled his chair over closer to hers, and put his arms around her. Instead of having anything to say to comfort her, Cid gave into his own fears and cried, too.

-------------------

Derek Heflin, a twenty-six-year old double agent for ASRIO and Shinra, left the lab at seven o'clock, as he generally did. As he got out of his car and started toward his small apartment, he casually dropped a small black object and kicked it beneath his car. This was his cold drop that, if all went well, his handler would get it shortly.

-------------------

Reno was lying in bed with his wife in his arms. He'd been in the mood for an after work romp, but Angel had turned him down, being too upset about her brother. Holding her like this was good for him too, though, and he didn't really mind.

When the phone rang, he cursed quietly. Reno had been on the verge of sleep, and this intrusion wasn't welcome. He answered. "Do you have any fucking idea what time it is?"

"Sorry, Reno. It's Amy."

He sat bolt upright, throwing Angel to the side. "What's up?"

"I got a drop tonight from Derek," she said.

Reno closed his eyes, hoping for good news. "Tell me something good."

"They have Jaras in the Junon lab."

"Fucking excellent!" Reno looked over at his wife. "Babe! He's in Junon!"

Angel scrambled to her knees, clasping her hands before her chest. "Really?"

"Yeah," Reno looked serious again, "Amy, did he say what they took him for?"

"Re-inoculation with Jenova." She sighed, "They're trying to restore him, if you will."

"Any sort of time frame? I mean, how long do we have to get our sorry asses down there and grab him?" he asked.

"Immediate."

"Shit, okay, thanks." Reno hung up and got out of bed. He went over to the closet and hastily began to put on a suit. Reno had taken to wearing one everyday at ASRIO now. It was his way of paying tribute to Tseng, although his suits weren't nearly as nice.

Angel rose from the bed as well. "What did she say?"

"They're gonna shoot him full of Jenova again." Reno almost fell over as he hastily pulled on his pants.

Her eyes went wide. "Are you serious?"

"Babe, I don't fuck around at one in the morning."

"How much time do we have?" she asked, coming closer to him.

"None. We have to get him now." He began to button up his shirt.

"Oh no…" Angel fell back onto the bed.

-------------------

At two in the morning, Vincent was jostled from his sleep. He opened his eyes in the darkness of his cabin and listened. He strained his ears, hearing some strange sound. When the ship shuttered again, it got his attention and he jumped out of bed. Since Vincent had fallen asleep completely clothed, he quickly went over to the door and stepped out into the hall.

The ship rocked once more, and Vincent had to steady himself against the closest wall. His innate dislike for flying was getting the better of him, and he wondered if the ship was going down. He'd slept through the alert given over the ship's intercom explaining the situation.

After deciding that it was safe to go on as the ship's movements seemed to level out, Vincent made his way quickly to the bridge. He saw Porter standing next to the pilot and approached him. "What's going on?"

Porter smiled at him. "You didn't hear the alert, I take it?"

"Alert? What? No, I didn't hear anything… I was out."

"We got a call from Reno. He told us to get back ASAP. He authorized conversion." Porter turned his attention back to some of the gauges before the pilot.

"Conversion?"

The former Turk faced Vincent again. "You know, these airships can go from prop to jet power if needed."

_So, we're in a hurry, then_, he thought to himself. "What's the rush?"

Porter led Vincent to an unoccupied corner of the bridge. "They've gotten word on Jaras."

His eyes went wide. "Really?"

"He's being held in Junon, and Reno has ordered us to get back to the base immediately, so we can depart and get him." Porter forced a smile.

"We're just going to take off like that? No planning? This seems a little rushed." Vincent was well aware that generally, things involving Reno didn't go this fast, well, except for one thing, but that wasn't the issue.

Porter was not going to be the one to tell Vincent what they planned for his son. "Well, I guess he feels that the sooner the better, Mr. Valentine."

"So how long until we reach ASRIO?" Vincent asked, moving to look out the window, into the early dawn.

"Two hours."

He nodded. "Okay, I'll be in my room."

-------------------

Tifa awoke from her sleep, finding herself not in her bed. She struggled to remember why she wasn't there for a moment, until she realized she was looking up at the family room ceiling. She was lying on the couch, up against someone else, with their arms around her.

It was Cid.

They'd come out here to continue talking after leaving the kitchen. She'd rested back against him as they discussed things, and had eventually fallen asleep. The pilot had never dared to move, needing to have her this close for the time being. Holding her comforted him in a way that nothing else did and he, too, had submitted to sleep here.

Tifa turned her neck back, and saw that he was still out. She smiled to herself, before settling back down against him. There was no need to leave his arms for the moment. This was the sort of thing that she'd miss once he was gone.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Jaras had no idea what time it was. He'd lain down on the mattress in the center of his cage some time earlier, his exhaustion and stress having gotten the better of him. He roused when he heard the door to the lab open again, and people talking.

Pushing his long, silver hair back, he squinted over at the source of the voices. It was Peirte and someone in a suit, presumably, a Turk.

"Are you sure this is safe?" the Turk asked, motioning toward Jaras.

"He's displayed absolutely no ability to fight." Dr. Methius said, coming closer. "He will be restrained, anyway."

"You have to get him out of the cage, first." The Turk reflexively reached beneath his suit coat and touched his gun.

"That shouldn't be a problem, Toskin." Peirte saw that Jaras was looking back at him. "I see you've awoken."

Jaras got to his feet, his body protesting his every move. He was incredibly sore from his handling before.

"Turn your back to me, please," Peirte asked, his voice overly kind.

Jaras hesitated. Something was going on, something that he knew he'd rather not be a part of.

The first crack in the doctor's façade appeared. He took another step forward, and slammed a hand against the bars. "I said turn!"

Remembering what Derek had told him earlier, Jaras realized he needed to obey. If ASRIO was on the way for him, then he needed to just cooperate for a short while. Surely, they'd get to him before anything happened. He turned away from the scientist.

"Take off your shirt."

Again, Jaras slowly complied, feeling his hands beginning to shake.

"Pull your hair over your shoulder, expose your back."

He reached back and pulled his lengthy hair forward.

Nothing seemed to happen for a moment, but then there was a click, and Jaras felt something sting him on the left side of his back. Instinctively, he reached back to feel whatever had hit him, but it was located in such a place as to make it hard to get to. Jaras flashed a glance over at the scientist and Turk, seeing that Peirte had some sort of gun in his hand. He knew enough to realize that he hadn't really been shot, and after reaching behind his back again, he managed to get a hold of whatever it was that had driven into him. It hurt terribly as he pulled the thing away, as it seemed to be barbed on the end to stay put long enough to do what was needed. Jaras brought it forward, and looked at the item clutched in his hand. It was some sort of dart-- the kind they use to tranquilize animals.

Although Jaras had pulled the dart out, it had been in long enough to do its job.

Peirte cocked an eyebrow as he watched the small stream of blood run from where the dart had been pulled from. "You may wish to go lay down again, Sephiroth. The effects will begin momentarily."

"What did you do to me?" Jaras demanded, throwing the bloodied dart to the ground.

"That was just a sedative, Sephiroth. The good stuff is yet to come." Peirte pushed his glasses up higher. "Now again, I will ask that you lay down. I should hate for you to fall and injure yourself."

Jaras was getting upset. He was frozen in his place, too scared to do anything. All the memories of the torture and manipulation that he'd suffered at Hojo's hands flashed back, making it impossible to function. "Please… leave me alone."

Once more, Peirte's true colors came out. "Lay down or perhaps you would like me to go get Graff and Hatley in here to make you do as I wish."

Snapping to attention upon the names of those men, Jaras backed over to his mattress. He lowered himself upon it, feeling the first wave of dizziness wash over him from the drug.

Peirte smiled back at his Turk. "See, Toskin? Nothing to worry about. Chemical restraint is a wonderful thing."

-------------------

Vincent heard the sound of the airship's engines change and he realized that they were landing. He threw his cloak back around his shoulders and picked up his luggage, before exiting the ship.

He stepped out into the early morning air, immediately being beset upon by his red headed son-in-law.

Reno smiled widely, jogging up to Vincent's side. "Vinny! How the hell are ya? Oh, got another cloak, huh? Goin' back into the goth thing?"

He wasn't in the mood. "Reno."

"Aw, come on, you're just tickled shitless to see me, and you know it." The ASRIO leader jabbed Vincent in the side. "Loosen up. Tifa's not here, you don't have to put up that aloof, detached front of yours."

Vincent just cocked an eyebrow. He wasn't going to get into this with Reno at this hour. "What's the plan?"

"Cuttin' right to the chase as usual, I see." Reno actually took Vincent's suitcase from him and led him toward the entrance to the base. "Well, the lab in Junon isn't too heavily guarded, so it should be a cake walk."

"Why wouldn't they take him to one of the big labs? Surely they would have reason. They should have some serious security around this." Vincent narrowed his eyes in thought as they walked.

"Yeah, that's sorta what I would've thought, too," Reno replied, shrugging. "But he's in Junon. I think they took him there because they figure that all of their main labs, you know, New Nibelhiem, Midgar, whatever, have all got ASRIO plants in them, which they do. So, they may have gone with an auxiliary facility in the hopes of landing him somewhere that there isn't an agent. If that's the case, we're real fuckin' lucky that they picked Junon, because it's just one of two of their little labs that does have an agent. We won the lottery on this one, Vinny."

"How are we going to get in and out, then?" Vincent asked, reaching out and opening the door that led down into the base.

Reno followed him down the short stairwell. "Chopper, Brad, the usual. Drop us off on the roof, pick us up there a few minutes later. You know the drill."

Whereas Tseng used to actually _plan_ these sorts of things, Reno just generally assumed that they could be run the same. Doing so had worked for him well enough over the last several years, and he saw no need to ruin a good thing. Then again, the agents that he sent into do these missions were good, very good, and there hadn't been an insertion team fatality or capture in four years.

It begged the question, and Vincent asked, "Who's going?"

Reno frowned for a moment. "Ericson, Spencer, and Kimo."

"Kimo?" Vincent stopped walking and faced him. "The Turk? I thought he was working as a spy with Rude."

"Well, he was, but there was a mission into the Midgar facility about a year back, and he was ordered to go with the guards in the building to intercept our guys. When he met up with them, he wouldn't fire on my men, sorta blowin' his cover. He skipped the building with the team and has taken up a job here. He's a good guy, even if he's the one that killed Zale." Reno started walking again and toward Vincent's room.

"Wait, _he_ killed Zale way back when?" Vincent had never been made aware of this, as Reno had kept his mouth shut about it until now.

"Yeah, he did."

"That's weird." Vincent recognized the door to his room. It was the same one that he and Tifa had been in for so long during their stay with ASRIO.

"I know, small fuckin' world, huh?" Reno stepped forward and unlocked the room. He'd kept it the same over the years, thinking that if Tifa and Vincent ever found themselves in danger that they may need to move back. It just seemed wrong to him to let anyone else stay in this room. Tseng's room had also gone untouched for the last seven years. Reno kept it locked, and he had the only key. When things were tough, really tough, he'd go in there and sit. Doing so made him feel some sort of link to his old friend, and in these quiet times of meditation, he'd solved plenty of problems. It was the closest thing to religion that the ex-Turk had. "Well, here you go."

Vincent walked in, and Reno went forward and set Vincent's suitcase upon the bed. Vincent looked over at the dresser, realizing that the various small items that Tifa and he had abandoned here were still present. "Housekeeping hasn't been by, I see."

Reno looked at the other man. "Joking already?"

"Well, the place doesn't look like it's been touched since I left." Vincent pulled his cloak from his shoulders and draped it over a chair.

"It's your room, Vinny. Ain't no one gonna stay here but you and your lady." Reno went and landed on the couch. "Speaking of which, how is the old girl?"

Vincent wasn't going to dwell on his marital problems for the moment, and sighed, "She's doing fine. Just a few more weeks."

"Cool." Reno thought back to when Angel had been pregnant, and how nervous he'd been the whole time. "I bet she'll be glad when that's over and done with. You'll probably be, too, huh?"

Vincent went and sat on the edge of the bed, facing him. "Sure."

"Your conversation skills still suck, Vinny."

He just stared.

"And you still do that creepy look thing, too." Reno smiled and pulled his legs up onto the couch. "You know what's funny? Angel does all that shit you do, too. When I was first with her, I never really could see it, you know, but after hangin' out with you for all that time, it got real obvious. It's weird the stuff that kids pick up from their parents, even if they don't know who those parents are. I guess there's something to be said for heredity, huh?"

This just made him think about Jaras again. "When do we leave?"

"Back on that already?" Reno rolled his eyes. "I was gonna have us head out at sunset. That way we can get there around midnight. I'd have us go earlier, but heading in at night is usually the best way. He should still be okay. I don't think they'd fuck him up too badly in just the first day he's there, do you?"

Vincent wouldn't put anything past anyone in Shinra. "I'd hope not."

"Okay." Reno got up from the couch and headed toward the door. "I'm heading home for a while. When it gets close to time, I'll come and get you and we'll head out."

Vincent knit his brow and stood. "You're going, too?"

Reno dropped his gaze to the floor. He hadn't been on a mission personally since the operation to kill Hojo and end the Neo-Jenova Project. The loss of two teammates during two missions as close together as those last few, had turned him off from going on ops. "Yeah."

"But I thought…" Vincent let his words trail off, realizing that questioning Reno on this would probably just insult him.

"I know. But it's Angel's brother, Vinny. I want her to know that I'm doing all that I can to see that we get him back, you know? I might not go on regular missions anymore, but this involves family, so it's sort of a special case." Reno shoved his hands into his pockets.

Vincent smiled at the fact Reno would open up to him this little bit. "I'm sure she appreciates that."

"Yeah, well, like I said, I'll be back later. I'll bring by Angel and Dana. I'm sure the squirt would just love to see Grandpa. Bye." With that, he left.

Vincent stood there alone. There was still just something that seemed wrong with being referred to as 'Grandpa', in light of his body presently only being about thirty five. _This family couldn't have gotten any weirder if it tried,_ he thought to himself.

-------------------

Dr. Arlin had gone to her room to drop off her bags and then had walked to the cafeteria to get something to eat. Being only five in the morning, the place was empty and she had to get a sandwich from a vending machine, since none of the food service workers were present. With her item in hand, she went to go sit at a table, spotting only one other person in the room.

Jeanine sat staring at the small package of granola that she'd gotten, not really hungry but knowing that she needed to eat something. She was completely oblivious to Dr. Arlin's approach. Spanky and her had just arrived a few hours before, having made it safely here from Mideel.

"Jeanine?" Dr. Arlin landed across from her, smiling.

Upon seeing her fellow doctor, she forced a smile. "Hey Janice."

"I'm sorry about Jaras," Dr. Arlin said, reaching over and patting the other woman's hand for a moment.

"Yeah." She dropped her gaze to the table. "I keep hoping that I'll wake up, and this will all be a dream."

"I can imagine." The doctor became thoughtful for a moment. Jeanine could prove very convenient to have around. "Maybe this is entirely inappropriate under the circumstances, but I have a question."

Jeanine perked to attention to hear this. "Oh?"

"You deal with addiction therapy in your practice, right?" Janice unwrapped her sandwich.

"Yeah, it's a big part of my psychiatry practice in Mideel." She wondered where this was going.

"Well, I've got someone who just admitted to being an alcoholic, and he needs some serious help. He's about to lose his marriage and everything. I know you probably don't feel like working, but it might help distract you a little from things." She took a bite of her would-be breakfast.

Jeanine raised her eyebrows. She was always eager to help others. "Really?"

"Yes." Janice smiled, realizing that Jeanine was game. "I was going to have a colleague from town come down to talk with him, but quite frankly, I think he'd do better with someone that he's talked to before."

Now Jeanine was really curious. "I've talked to before? Who is it, Janice?"

Maybe it wasn't fair to throw this at the other woman and she hesitated, rethinking her request.

Jeanine asked again, "Janice, who is it?"

"Vincent."

She just blinked back at the doctor for a moment. "Vincent? Jaras' father?"

"Yes."

"He's an alcoholic?" This was news to her.

"So he says."

"And he and Tifa are having that much trouble?" Jeanine leaned forward, not happy with this knowledge.

"Apparently." Janice took another bite.

"Dear God…" Jeanine collapsed back in her chair. Every time she and Jaras had visited Tifa and Vincent, things had seemed wonderful. The fact that this was going on below the surface cut at her, and she knew that for the sake of the baby that Tifa was about to have, something had to be done.

"I realize that it's a bit out of the realm of acceptable ethics to have you discuss these things with someone close to you, but again, I think he'd do better with someone that he's comfortable with." She gave a fleeting smile.

"No, it's absolutely no problem. You're right, he'd be better off with someone familiar." Jeanine remembered the few times she'd counseled Vincent before. His mind had proven an interesting tangle of issues, and diving back into it was a challenge she was willing to take.

-------------------

Wishing to basically avoid everyone, Vincent hadn't come out of his room since arriving at the base. He sat on the couch, flipping through the channels on the television. When he heard a knock, he rolled his eyes and then went and answered. "Oh, hey."

Jeanine produced a smile for her father-in-law. "Hey."

"Are you doing all right?" Vincent asked, stepping aside so she could enter.

"As good as can be expected." Jeanine went and landed on the couch that Vincent had just abandoned. "But I was sent here to see how _you_ are."

Vincent's shoulders slumped as he realized that Dr. Arlin had sent Jeanine to him for a reason. "Look, right now you're probably not feeling like dealing with my issues, Jeanine."

"Actually, this is the only thing that I can do around here to get my mind off of Jaras." She met his gaze. "I can't help Jaras right now, but I can help you, Vincent."

"God damn it." Vincent went and sat on the other end of the couch, turned so he could face her. "What did Janice tell you?"

"That you've been drinking, and that you and Tifa are having problems because of it." She settled back into the couch, seeing that he was going to submit.

He wasn't happy in the least that his problems had now been revealed to a family member. "Right."

"How bad is the drinking, Vincent?" she asked.

"Bad enough."

"Tell me about it. What do you usually do when you feel the need?" Jeanine cocked her head to the side.

"I get confrontational and seem to start arguments. Once I've made Tifa mad, I leave the house and go to a bar. I drink a ton, then sit around until I'm not fall down drunk anymore, and then I go home. On days when I don't go out and drink like that, I take hits off the bottles of alcohol we've got in the house. Tifa never knew until the other day. I've kept it hidden all of this time." Vincent wasn't proud of this admission of weakness in the least.

"Why did she finally find out?"

"I just told her. Because of the arguments that I've been starting, she…" He looked away and frowned.

"She did what?" she queried.

"Tifa began to question her feelings for me, and she turned to Cid." He kept his gaze averted.

From his body language, she knew exactly what he meant. "Tifa had an affair with him?"

"Well, I'm not sure it was like an affair, exactly." Vincent began to fidget with the arm of the couch.

"An emotional affair? Or did they sleep together?"

"Well, they were together once, although Tifa made him stop before he got completely done." He opted to not mention the doubt over the baby's parentage for now. "Emotional affair? I don't quite understand that."

She smiled. "An emotional affair is where a spouse turns to another person to discuss their real feelings with other than with their mate. If they aren't having their emotional needs being met by their significant other, they substitute someone else to fulfill that part of their life."

Vincent turned his eyes back to her. Cid and Tifa had always seemed to deal with one another in a way that he and Tifa never really did. As he had pushed her away and shut her out, her phone calls to Cid had gotten more frequent and longer, and their conversations when he was around had grown more hushed, and they fell into silence whenever Vincent would come back into the room. "God, that's it exactly, Jeanine. She's been using him like that forever. I never really gave it much thought."

"Do you think you would have noticed her increasing need to deal with Cid if you hadn't been drinking?"

"I think I actually used her need to talk to him as an opportunity to drink. She would go into the bedroom to talk to him on the phone and she'd shut the door. It made it easy for me." Vincent felt like a fool. He'd thought he'd been getting away with something, not realizing what he'd been leading Tifa to do.

"When you would hear her talking to Cid, what did they talk about?"

"I don't know exactly. It was always sort of quiet, like she didn't want me to hear. From her expressions and such, I figured she was talking about her feelings regarding me with him. If he was at the house, every time I'd walk into the room, they'd both stop talking. I guess that means they were discussing me, but I always blew it off." His posture slouched forward.

"Did she continue to make the effort of trying to talk to you about her feelings?" Jeanine carefully continued to watch his body language.

"Yeah, and I'd always find some way to turn it into a fight. Every time she'd try to reach out to me, I'd just throw it back at her. It would just be another chance for me to go out and drink." Vincent made a fist and slammed it down to the couch cushion. "What the fuck have I done?"

"Vincent, you're not the only one to blame here."

His eyes blazed. He wasn't about to let Tifa share any of the blame for their woes. "I am. Tifa didn't do anything wrong."

"Vincent, she was carrying on an emotional affair with Cid. You need to accept that, and I'd bet she's been doing that for years. Tell me this, do you think she was aware that trying to discuss emotional issues with you generally resulted in an argument?" she asked.

"Of course, but she kept trying. She wanted to get through to me." Vincent once more began to mess with the arm of the couch.

"Or did she want the argument to happen, so that you would leave and she would have the chance to speak to Cid, and talk about the argument she and you had just had with him?" Jeanine saw his whole body tense as he heard this.

His first instinct was to get furious at such a statement, but he caught himself. Vincent realized that Jeanine was right. "I never thought about that."

"Well, you were each only aware of your own side of the situation. You both have been playing off of each other, Vincent. Your drinking wasn't the only thing fueling your marital troubles. Her dependency on Cid contributed, too. Now, it may be that your drinking came first, and her need to cling to him second, but as the years have gone on, the two of you did nothing to stop this downward cycle." Jeanine noticed that he suddenly looked lost.

"Actually, she's always relied on Cid. When she was married to Cloud, he was the only one who knew that she was unhappy. When I was unable to be with her during our time here in the base after we first got together, she spent every moment away from me with him." Vincent felt his eyes sting.

"She's been very close to him for a long time." Jeanine nodded. "Tifa has been using him from the outset."

"I guess so. If Cid hadn't been with Shera, and if he had gone to Tifa to ask her to leave Cloud instead of me, I wonder if she would have ended up with him instead? She'd had much more of an attachment to him than she'd had with me at the time. Hell, she barely even knew me when she agreed to go with me." Vincent closed his eyes.

"She was looking for any excuse to finally leave Cloud. You were that excuse. If Cid had been there, it's entirely possible that she would have gone with him instead." Jeanine narrowed her eyes. "But I can tell you something."

He looked at her. "What's that?"

"She must care for you more than she cared for Cloud, Vincent. Because despite the fact that Cid was there and would have undoubtedly taken her away if she'd wanted, she stayed with you. She turned him down." Jeanine raised her eyebrows. "Although all this has happened, she does love you."

"That's what she told me."

"And do you still love her?" she asked.

Vincent locked into her gaze. His expressions up until this point had betrayed the fact that he had been unsure of some of the things he'd said, but now his look was one of a man who knew something with every fiber of his being. "I love her, don't ever doubt that I do."

"Then there is every chance that the two of you can work things out." Jeanine shifted in her seat. "But the two of you will need counseling together. I can only help you. She needs help, too."

This made sense to him and he nodded. "She'd agree to that, I think."

"So, what we need to address is your drinking. Her need to use Cid will have to be dealt with separately." Jeanine thought for a moment. "Why do you drink? Are you physically addicted, or is it an excuse to escape your own inner demons?"

"Both."

"What happens to you physically if you don't drink, Vincent?"

He lowered his head. "I start to feel sick. Shakey. Nauseated."

"Vincent," her voice was softer, "those could be symptoms of anxiety, not just addiction."

He knit his brow. "Anxiety?"

"When you don't have alcohol clouding your mind, what do you think about?" she asked.

Vincent didn't want to say it. "Uh… How scared I am."

"Scared of what?"

"Being alone. What would I do if Tifa were gone…"

"What do these thoughts do to you if you dwell on them?" Jeanine moved closer to him, seeing that he was on the verge of tears.

Vincent had a moment of clarity and met her gaze again. "I start to feel physically ill. My hands shake, and I get sick to my stomach."

"So what you thought were your physical symptoms of addiction to alcohol are really just the physical symptoms of your anxiety and fear over being alone?"

He nodded. "I didn't think of it that way."

"And so when the anxiety sets in, you drink to make your mind get off of those thoughts?"

"Yes. When I'm drunk, I can shove all those feelings to the side." Vincent wiped his eyes with the back of his hand.

"Isn't it strange how what you do to cope with your fear of losing the woman you love is the very thing that has driven you to push her away?" Jeanine could see that he was making a profound realization.

The emotion behind his eyes was painful. He let it all sink in for a moment longer and then his expression changed.

He didn't look upset anymore at all.

Vincent sat back and smiled for a moment, and then started laughing.

Familiar with his reactions from her previous meetings with him all those years before, Jeanine wasn't surprised to see this, and it let her know that he really had come to a realization. "We can deal with your anxiety without you resorting to drinking. Without a physical dependency to alcohol, the cycle can be broken, and it can be broken now."

He turned his eyes back to her, his relief clear, the smile still upon his lips. "Jeanine, you're amazing."

"I'm just doing my job." She reflected his grin.

"So, what do we do to cope with the anxiety?"

"For the short term, I can give you a prescription for something. When you start to feel those thoughts coming on, you can take it and it will relax you, hopefully keeping you from seeking an argument so you won't go and drink. For the long term, some more counseling can help you learn to cope with those anxiety attacks. You can be cured of this, Vincent." Jeanine closed the remaining distance between them, and placed a hand upon his leg. Sitting where she was, she could appreciate how much he and Jaras were alike in their mannerisms and expressions. It comforted her in a way.

"You know, Cid just told us day before yesterday that he's dying of lung cancer." Vincent had a need to bring this up.

Jeanine's expression fell. "Really?"

"Yeah." Vincent dropped his gaze away. "He said he's got four months. When he dies, Tifa's going to lose it."

"As attached as she is to him, I don't doubt she will." She let her hand leave his leg and move back to her lap. "I would really encourage you to see to it that you're both seeing a counselor well before that actually happens. If she's able to understand her compulsion to cling to him by then, she will still be devastated of course, they are friends, but at least she will hopefully be relying on you for support again instead of him."

"Then the day I get back, I'll see to it that we schedule an appointment." Vincent looked at her again. "Is there anyone in Kalm that you know?"

She nodded. "Yeah, there's a classmate of mine there. His name is Dr. Martin. You'll really like him. He's excellent. I'll get his number for you."

"I'd appreciate that, Jeanine."

She rose up from the couch. "I think this is a good place to stop for now. After the mission, maybe I can talk with you one more time before you head home, okay?"

"I'd be for that." Vincent also rose, seeing her to the door.

"Good. In case I don't see you before you guys head out tonight," she stepped closer to him, "I want to wish you luck. I really love Jaras, Vincent. If he doesn't come home, I…"

When he saw the tears come up in her eyes, Vincent gave in and embraced her. "We'll get him, Jeanine. I won't leave that lab without him."

She stepped back after a moment, having gotten a grip again. "Okay. Bye."

"Bye." He closed the door behind her. After standing there and thinking about all that had just been said, Vincent made his way over to the edge of the bed and sat. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed home.

Tifa quickly answered. "Hello?"

Vincent smiled upon hearing her voice. "Hey."

"Vincent? What's going on?" she asked, going over and sitting at the kitchen table.

Cid looked up from his bowl of cereal when she landed next to him. "Sue?"

She nodded at him.

"Well, they found out that Jaras is in a lab in Junon." Vincent looked over at the clock, seeing that it was only seven. "We're leaving tonight to go and get him."

Although she was happy that they knew where Jaras was and that there was apparently a plan to get him, her worry over Vincent tempered her reaction. "Oh, okay."

He knit his brow, and his voice got quieter. "Tifa, I talked to Jeanine for awhile this morning."

"How's she coping?" Tifa asked.

"She's hanging in there," he sighed. "But we actually talked about what's going on with us."

"Really?" She was surprised to hear that he'd done this.

"Yeah." He ran a hand through his hair. "She gave me some perspective on all that's gone on with us. I have a lot of things to think about. She's amazing…gets right into my head. Jeanine had a suggestion, though, and I was hoping you'd agree."

"What's that?" Tifa was looking over at Cid as he continued eating his breakfast.

"Well, she thinks that we could really benefit from going to counseling together." He braced for her reaction.

Tifa smiled widely. "Absolutely. I'll do anything to try and work this out, Vincent."

He was immediately relieved to hear this. "Great. She's even got someone she knows working in Kalm who we can go to. She says that it'll probably help you with what's going on with Cid, too."

Her smile quickly fell, as her eyes were still on the pilot. She hated talking about Cid when he was right there. "Oh…yeah. I'll probably need some help there, when the time comes."

"Well, we'll talk about it a little more when I get home, and we'll make an appointment." Vincent could hear the downturn in her mood.

"Okay, that sounds really good, Vincent. I'm really proud that you talked to Jeanine. You sound…better. Happier, I guess."

"Well, she opened my eyes about a few things. Tifa, I love you." He stood back up.

Her grin returned. "I love you, too."

Cid dropped his spoon and pushed his bowl back. There was a frown upon his lips.

"I'm going to go. I need to eat." Vincent closed his eyes for a moment.

"Okay, bye." Her smile was evident in her voice.

"Bye." Vincent flipped his phone closed and slipped it back into his pocket.

-------------------

Jaras was only slightly aware of what was going on around him for a long time. He knew that he'd been removed from his cell, and that he was presently strapped down onto some sort of bed or table. His right arm was pulled straight out from his side, tied down to where he couldn't move it at all. In fact, other than being able to turn his head from side to side, he couldn't move anything.

Dr. Methius appeared in his line of sight. "Sephiroth, are you coherent?"

Jaras blinked hard, trying to get his head from spinning. He heard the man's question, but was sluggish to respond. "I'm Jaras…"

"No, your name is Sephiroth. Jaras was a false alias that you adopted. It isn't as regal a name by any means." Peirte smiled down at him. "Are you ready?"

"What?" Jaras tried to lift his head to get his bearings, but it made him nauseous.

The scientist lifted up his hand, displaying the syringe he was holding within it. "I have the Jenova cells here for you. Are you ready to say goodbye to your weak and fragile state?"

"No!" Jaras felt his mind clear instantly in his terror. He struggled against his restraints, as the memory of Hojo injecting him with dose after dose of Jenova came back. The pain each of those inoculations had caused was excruciating, and the thought that he was about to be subjected to the same thing sent him into a panic.

"Settle down!" Methius lost his smile.

There was something commanding in the doctor's voice that forced Jaras to freeze. After growing up under Hojo's oppression, there were some bits of conditioning within him that had made themselves almost instinct. The best way to survive was to comply. That was a lesson he'd learned many times over.

"There's no need to panic." The doctor's expression softened again. "You will survive this. You are resistant to the poisoning that Jenova can cause. You suffered no ill effects that proved permanent before. Hojo documented everything to the letter, this will go exactly as planned."

Feeling tears in his eyes, Jaras broke down. He didn't want to return to the way he had been. The memories of the progressive madness he'd suffered as Sephiroth were nightmares he didn't want to fall victim to again. Those cells had infiltrated his mind, controlling him. He hadn't been in charge of his own consciousness then-- it had seemed like he was merely along for the ride. The things he had done and that he'd thought hadn't been within his control. Jaras was all too aware that if those cells were injected into him again, that he would cease to be whom he had been for the last fourteen years.

Jaras' whole body trembled in his fear. "Please, just let me go. Don't do this…I'm begging you! I have a wife! I just want to go home, I don't deserve this!"

Peirte's face contorted into an expression of amusement. "Oh now, honestly, Sephiroth! You're above such trite, piffle things as love! You were the most powerful being to ever grace this planet. How can you resist regaining that status?"

"I just want to go home." He felt the heat of tears upon his cheeks. "That wasn't me… If you inject me with that, Sephiroth might come back, but I'll die!"

"As it is, you are pathetic and would be no great loss, Jaras, or whatever it is you call yourself." Dr. Methius reached out and stroked the arm that had been tied out from Jaras' side. "Begging is shameful. You're no more than a placeholder, keeping this body alive so that the real Sephiroth could someday return. Today is that day, my friend."

Jaras strained his aching shoulder in an attempt to pull his arm out of the scientist's reach, but it couldn't be broken loose. He looked at his arm, seeing that at some point, an intravenous line had been placed into it, and that the scientist was preparing to inject the Jenova into the line. "Don't…"

Peirte pulled the cap from the needle on the syringe and then lined it up with the injection port on the I.V. line he had placed. Before he dispensed the contents of the syringe into Jaras, he looked into those frightened cat-like eyes one last time. "Is there anything you wish to say before we proceed?"

With his bottom lip quivering, Jaras managed to get a few words out. "Have someone tell Jeanine that I love her…"

Naturally, Peirte had no actual intention of passing on any such message, but he would humor his test subject. If Sephiroth was going to remember anything, it would be preferable to be on his good side. "Very well. Let's get on with it."

Jaras closed his eyes. There was a fire spreading up his arm from the injection site. He clenched his teeth, knowing that within a few moments, he would be in agony.

Derek walked into the lab, having been sent by Peirte to carry out some menial chore. The screaming he heard before he even opened the doors made his heart rate skyrocket. Someone was begging for their suffering to end and once inside, he saw that it was Jaras. He dropped the papers in his hands, and his eyes went wide. "Oh no…"

Dr. Methius looked over, seeing that his assistant had returned. Disregarding the misery of the man beside him, he strolled over to Derek and asked him, "You've put in those requests with accounting, I assume?"

Derek couldn't take his eyes from Jaras as he writhed on the table a short distance away. He knew that he had to keep his emotional reaction hidden, lest his cover be blown. "You started?"

Whether the assistant wanted to show it or not, Peirte could see that he was disturbed by the struggles and cries of the specimen. "Yes. Don't look so unwell for the situation, Derek. He will be fine, no, better than he was in the beginning. You know the old saying, you can't make an omelet…"

Derek bent down to retrieve the papers he'd dropped. "Yeah, without breaking eggs or whatever."

"That's right." Methius glanced back over his shoulder for a second when Jaras let out a particularly shrill scream. "Quiet down already. Surely, it's not that bad."

If only Dr. Methius had even a vague idea what he had just inflicted upon poor Jaras, he wouldn't have been so flippant about the situation. It felt like Jaras' body was on fire. His blood boiled within his veins as the Jenova cells that had been introduced into him began to divide madly, lodging themselves within his nervous system and muscles. His consciousness was being invaded by a cruel force. This new personality felt frighteningly familiar. All of Jaras' kinder traits were being shoved aside, and the darker facets of his personality were being given a life of their own.

As the pain finally began to abate, Jaras closed his eyes and relaxed. He felt good, frighteningly wonderful, and a smile came to his lips.

-------------------

Vincent sat in the base's cafeteria, trying to finish his breakfast. There was a sense of unrest in him, and he couldn't get Jaras off his mind. Somehow, deep within, he sensed that something had happened, and it was making him sick to his stomach.

He heard a giddy squeal behind him and turned just in time to be plowed into by his granddaughter. "Hey, Dana."

She climbed right up into his lap and threw her arms around his neck. "Bring me anything?"

The girl had a habit of asking for things, and Vincent smiled. He reached into the inner pocket of his cloak and pulled out one of the pieces of candy he'd stuffed into it, after hearing that Dana would be brought by. "How's this?"

The fire-haired girl took the offering readily and pulled the wrapper from it, and then popped it into her mouth.

Angel and Reno finally got close, and Angel put her hands on her hips. "Dana Jessica Sparks! You haven't even had breakfast yet and you're eating candy?"

The girl's eyes went wide and she pulled the edge of Vincent's cloak up over her a little. "But Grandpa gave it to me!"

Angel rolled her eyes at her father and then sat next to him. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't impose your poor eating habits upon my daughter, Dad."

Vincent smiled and turned, kid in his lap and all, as to be able to face Angel. "How are you?"

She raised her eyebrows. "As good as possible, I guess. I'm just so worried about Jaras. I can't imagine how scared he probably is."

He nodded. "I know. What he must have thought when they first caught up with him…"

Reno was feeling left out of the conversation and sat right on the table, between his wife and father-in-law. "It fuckin' sucks."

Angel slapped him in the shoulder, hard. "I will remind you to watch your language around Dana, Reno."

He instantly looked guilty and looked down at his kid, who still had herself nestled beneath Vincent's cloak. "Sorry."

Seeing her dad get in trouble made Dana giggle as she peeked out from beneath the red fabric. "Busted."

Reno cocked an eyebrow at her. "Watch it, Squirt."

Dana snickered again. She liked the fact that her dad usually got into just as much trouble with her mother as she did.

Vincent looked between Dana and Reno a few times, coming to realize that there was absolutely no trace that the girl had descended from him at all. She was a carbon copy of Reno in almost every way, and no one would have picked either Angel or Vincent out of a line up as anyone related to her.

The little girl turned her neck back and looked into Vincent's eyes. "Daddy says you're gonna go get Uncle Jaras today with him."

"That's the plan," he said back to her.

"Is it gonna be scary?" she asked.

Vincent gave her a smile. "Just a little."

"I think you and Daddy are brave." She wriggled off of his lap and went over to her mother. "Can we get chili dogs for dinner tonight since Daddy won't be here?"

Well aware of her husband's aversion for the aforementioned food item and her daughter's strange compulsion for it, Angel nodded. "I don't see why not."

"Yay!" She then ran off somewhere else in the room. It was late enough now that the cafeteria workers were here, and she had a tendency to sneak off into the kitchen here, begging treats from the cooks.

With the girl gone, Angel suddenly turned serious. "Dad, are you sure you want to go on this mission?"

"I have to."

"It's just that you've got a brand new baby on the way, and I don't want anything to happen to you." Angel pulled her chair closer to Vincent and placed a hand upon his leg.

"Angel, Jaras is my son. I have no choice in the matter. If it were you that they'd captured, I'd be running into that lab to rescue you just the same." He appreciated her concern, but it wasn't going to change his mind.

"All right, just promise me that you'll be careful, and make sure that Reno doesn't do anything stupid." She forced a smile.

"Hey!" Reno crossed his arms over his chest and scowled.

"Reno, let's be honest," she looked up at her husband, "you haven't been on a mission in ages. Neither of you have. I'm not sure that rushing into this lab in a big hurry like this is a good idea. I wish the both of you would just leave it to the regular team. The thought that I might not just lose my brother, but my father and husband as well, is just a little more than I can take."

Vincent and Reno just looked at one another. They hadn't given any thought to the fact that they were risking everyone that Angel was close to.

Reno's self confidence was unflappable. "Babe, I ain't dyin'."

"And I'm not leaving that lab without Jaras," Vincent added.

"Well, those better be promises you're both going to keep." Angel dropped her gaze away.

"You're not even going on the helicopter with us, I'm assuming?" Vincent asked, cocking his head to the side.

"No, I do no such thing anymore. For the most part, Reno and I have just worked in the base. I still provide tactical assistance via planning and radio, but once I had the baby, I felt that the days of going into the field for me needed to end." Angel scanned the room. "Speaking of which, where is Dana?"

Reno slid off the table and straightened his suit. "Dunno. I'll go find her."

They watched Reno retreat off out of view, shuffling along with his hands in his pockets as he tended to do.

Now alone, Angel turned to her father. "Seriously, make sure he doesn't do anything stupid. He's always been way too cavalier about missions, and I don't think he really understands that he's a lot older than he used to be, and he has his limitations."

The fact that this statement applied to him as well didn't go unnoticed. "I'll do what I can, but you know as well as I do that he sure as hell isn't going to listen to me. In fact, he tends to do whatever he can to do what I tell him not to."

She laughed. "That's my man. Don't let him fool you, though, Dad. He respects you. You have no idea how much, either."

Vincent cocked an eyebrow to hear this. He wasn't inclined to believe it. "Right."

"No, really, he does." Angel looked back, hoping that Reno was well out of earshot. "You were the only Turk to ever stand up to Hojo. He says you've quote, 'got a set on you to have done that'. He's impressed by you."

"Then why does he harass me constantly?" Vincent asked, not able to suppress his need to smile.

"He only gives crap to people he actually likes, Dad." Angel laughed. "If he didn't truly like you, he'd outright ignore you. But the truth is that he goes out of his way to mess with you."

Vincent smirked. "Then what do I have to do to get on his bad side?"

-------------------

There was no pain anymore. Not even the parts of his body that had been battered and beaten the day before bothered him now. He felt…light, relaxed. Having been placed back into his cage a while ago, he was lying on his back on the mattress within.

He took a deep breath, shrugging off the last of the tiredness he'd succumbed to after the injection, and opened his eyes. After pulling an errant tendril of his silver hair back from his face, he sat up and looked around.

Peirte was standing beside the cage, his hands behind his back. "Have you recovered from the injection?"

He glanced down at where the catheter had been in his arm and saw that it had been removed, a small bandage over the site. "Yes."

The scientist smiled to himself, and began to pace before the bars, but never taking his eyes from his specimen. "And how are you feeling at the moment?"

His green eyes narrowed, and a faint smile was upon his lips as he turned his gaze upward and toward the doctor. "Fine."

"I would like to test something, Sephiroth." Peirte pointed. "Look to your left, if you would."

He turned his eyes where indicated, spotting something in a bag beside his bed. He reached over and picked it up, opening it up and looking within. His smile widened and he pulled out the combat knife within it. The blade was about ten inches long, and it glinted in the light. "Dangerous arming a prisoner, is it not?"

"You won't hurt me after what I've done for you." Peirte pushed his glasses up with an index finger. "If you had one wish, Sephiroth, what would that wish be? Would it be to go home? Would it be to see your so-called wife? Or would it be to have revenge?"

He cocked an eyebrow. Revenge had a nice ring to it. "Revenge upon whom?"

Peirte looked over at Toskin, who was holding someone at gunpoint in the shadows. "Come here."

The Turk dug the muzzle of his gun into the back of the man before him, forcing him to step forward.

Upon seeing who it was, the silver haired man's eyes narrowed again, and his smile fell. "Hatley."

"Toskin, put him in," Peirte ordered.

Toskin nodded curtly and forced the SOLDIER to the door of the cage. He reached out and opened it, then shoving Hatley inside.

Knife in hand, he slowly rose from the bed, examining the SOLDIER standing in the corner of the cage. This was just more than he could have ever hoped for.

Hatley was here for no other reason than to die. He was unarmed, and clearly terrified. The SOLDIER raised his hands in a pointless gesture. "Come on, man. This isn't cool."

"Do you think what you and your little friend did to me was 'cool'?" he asked, taking painfully slow steps toward his intended victim. He had the knife clutched in his right hand. The blade was positioned so that the blunt edge of the knife was pressed back against his wrist. The way it was being held indicated that he knew exactly how to use this weapon. There would be no wild stabbing, no amateur butchery. He knew what to do.

"Look, it was nothing personal, man." Hatley had his back pressed up against the bars, aware that there was no escape. "If you didn't really want us to do what we did, then why didn't you just fight us then? I mean, you're fucking Sephiroth, you should've been able to stop us!"

"Are you honestly going to stand there and say that I wanted that to happen?" He almost smiled. "I was bound and gagged. What in the hell was I supposed to do?"

"Stay back!" Hatley begged, his tough façade completely undone.

Closing the remaining distance between them quickly, he struck out with his right hand, connecting with the left side of the SOLDIER's jaw. With the knife held in his hand as it was, the blade sliced through the man's cheek as his head was forced back from the blow.

Hatley cried out and covered his lacerated face with his hands. "Shit! What are you doing?"

"Revenge." He spun the knife in his hand, and then plunged the blade into the middle of the man's abdomen. With one sharp motion, he pulled the blade upward, eviscerating the man before him. "You're lucky that this is all I'm going to do to you."

The SOLDIER collapsed to his knees. As his entrails fell forward from his body, he screamed in horror, trying to gather them back up and put them as they were.

Smiling again, Jaras decided not to let this man linger. His cries of agony and horror were beginning to annoy him. He reached out and grabbed Hatley's hair, forcing him to look up. With one more deliberate slash, the SOLDIER's neck was opened up and blood poured forth.

He stepped back and watched his victim die, tossing his hair back over his shoulder casually as he did so.

Hatley remained on his knees for a few seconds, trying to say something, but the words wouldn't come with his throat severed. His world grew dark and he fell forward, dead.

"Very good." Peirte was ecstatic with Sephiroth's actions. This was exactly what he'd hoped for. There was one more test. "Now, what is your name?"

His lips pulled back and he turned from the dead man before him, locking gazes with the scientist. "Sephiroth."

-------------------

Still having hours to go before he would leave for the mission, Vincent stepped out of the base around noon and headed toward the hangers. He went into the one that had previously housed the ASRIO chopper, looking for someone specific.

He entered the enormous structure and found himself faced with the same ancient helicopter, looking more or less as it had the last time he'd seen it. Wondering if anyone was around, he called out, "Hello?"

"Whatcha want?" someone replied.

"Brad?" Vincent walked around the helicopter, looking for the source of the voice.

The pilot stepped out from behind the tail of the aircraft, wiping his hands on a rag. "Hey, Vincent!"

Vincent accepted a handshake from the man and smiled. "How have you been?"

"Good, really good." He examined Vincent, finding him to not look all that much different from the last time he'd seen him. "You?"

"I'll be doing a lot better after we go and get Jaras tonight," Vincent admitted.

The other man nodded and looked thoughtful. "Yeah, I can't stand to think what it'd be like if somethin' like that ever happened to Felix."

"Felix being your son?" Vincent asked, not knowing.

"Yeah. Airship pilot for a cruise line." Brad was proud of his boy's chosen career path. "Great guy."

"Pilot like his father?" Vincent smiled again for a moment, but it made him think of Cid. "Hey, have you kept up with Highwind at all?"

Brad shrugged. "Eh, the old bastard calls me like once or twice a year, but I ain't heard from him for a while. How's he doing?"

Vincent wasn't thrilled about having to be the one to deliver this news. "Actually, he's not doing very well."

"What's going on with him?" Brad asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Well, for starters, Jin broke up with him a few months ago."

Brad's eyes went wide. Seeing as that Jin worked for ASRIO on the airship, he'd run into her on occasion around the base, but she'd never disclosed this to him. "Really? She never said anything. Then again, she don't talk to anyone around here much. Although, she's been a little bitchier than normal, come to think of it."

"Well, that's not all of it, I'm afraid." Vincent knit his brow and looked at the ground. "Cid's got cancer."

Brad dropped the rag he'd been holding in his left hand. He was silent for a few moments, but then whispered, "Honest to God?"

Vincent nodded, bringing his gaze back up. "I guess he just found out the other day. They told him four months."

Brad went over to his workbench and sat on one of the two stools before it. This was terrible to hear. He and Cid had known each other for ages, having been in the service together so long ago. The thought that he was on his way out didn't sit well with Brad. Although nearing fifty, he hadn't lost any friends to disease and Cid was the last one he figured would be the one to go first. "How's he handling it?"

"You know Cid." Vincent went and sat next to him. "He's putting up that usual front about it, but he admitted to me before I left that he's scared."

To hear that Cid had actually said such a thing let Brad know exactly how serious this was. "And there's no chance that he's gonna pull through?"

"I guess not. It's extensive, he said, all throughout his chest."

"That's a cruel joke. The guy finally quit smoking what, six, seven years ago and now this comes along to claim him?" Brad shook his head. "I can't believe it."

"Neither can I." Vincent frowned, remembering how Cid had seemed so serious when he'd asked the former Turk to kill him.

"Shit. I need to call him." Brad looked up at Vincent.

"He's at my house," Vincent said, picking up a scrap of paper from the workbench and a broken pencil. He scribbled down his home phone number and handed it to Brad. "That's the number."

Brad examined the paper for a moment, before shoving it into his shirt pocket. "Thanks. I'll call him tomorrow after we're done getting Jaras."

"He'd appreciate that, Brad." Vincent got up, having delivered the news. "I guess I'll see you tonight, then."

"Sure thing. We're taking off around seven. Don't be late." Brad got back to his feet and started toward the chopper again.

"All right." Vincent slipped back out.

-------------------

When it was six thirty, Vincent again pulled out his phone as he sat on his bed. He dialed home to talk to Tifa just one last time.

Tifa didn't answer, Cid did. "Yeah?"

Vincent frowned at this, thinking that Cid was just a little too comfortable in his home. "It's Vincent."

"Oh, you want Tifa, just a sec," Cid said, before setting the phone down noisily upon the table.

Tifa picked up a few moments later. "Vincent?"

A smile finally broke upon his face. "Hey."

"What's going on?" she asked.

"We're leaving in about half an hour. I thought I should call before I go." Vincent leaned forward where he sat, wishing that she was actually here with him.

The worry was immediately obvious in her voice. "That's pretty soon."

"I know."

"Vincent, I'm really scared." Tifa sat at the kitchen table, glad that Cid was out of the room for the time being.

"It's okay, Tifa. It'll all turn out the way it's supposed to." His own anxiety was clear.

"Vincent, promise me that you'll come home."

"Tifa…" He didn't want to have this conversation again.

"Please, Vincent." She was obviously crying now.

He closed his eyes. "I'll do everything that I can to get out of this alive, Tifa."

"That's not what I asked…"

He sighed heavily, and slouched forward further. This was hurting him more than she would ever know. "I will do everything that I can to get out alive, Tifa. That's the best I can do."

She sobbed on the other end of the line.

"I'm sorry, Tifa. I really am." Vincent reached into his pocket and pulled out his vial of heart pills again and opened it, quickly placing one beneath his tongue. "I love you, Tifa. Take care of yourself."

These didn't sound like the words of a man who believed he was going to live. Somehow, Vincent already seemed to know the ultimate outcome of what was to happen.

Tifa got a hold of herself as best she could. "I love you, too."

"Tell Aaron that I love him, all right?" Vincent's voice wavered.

"I will."

"And tell Cid…" Vincent stopped himself.

"Tell Cid what?"

"Tell him to take care, too." Vincent stood up.

Tifa broke down again. Vincent was saying goodbye, permanently. "I…I will. Oh, God Vincent, please just come home…"

"I've got to go now, Tifa." He closed his eyes for a second. "Remember, I love you."

"I love you, too."

"Goodbye, Tifa." Vincent hastily wiped a tear away from his eye.

"Bye, Vincent." Tifa couldn't bring herself to hang up, and she just remained where she was, with the phone still to her ear.

He, too, was having a hard time hanging up, and a smile came back. "Tifa, I'm going to go now. Hang up, okay?"

"Okay." She didn't.

Vincent almost laughed. "Really, hang up."

"Bye, Vincent. I love you." She walked over to where the phone normally rested on the kitchen counter.

"I love you, Tifa. Goodbye."

Tifa, with her hand shaking uncontrollably, reached out and hung the phone up. Standing there, she covered her face with her hands and cried.

Cid heard her breaking down from the other room, and left the boys to their video game for the moment, and went to go see what was going on with her. Upon entering the kitchen, he saw her there in tears. "Tiff?"

She turned to face him. "That was Vincent."

"Why are you so upset? What did he say to you?" The pilot wondered if the other man had tried to start something with Tifa, like he'd done so many times recently.

"Nothing, except they're going on the mission in half an hour, and that he just wanted to say goodbye." Tifa went over before Cid and put her arms around him.

He held her tightly, wishing that this wasn't happening. "You know he's tough, Tifa. He'll do everything he can to get through this."

"That's just what he said." She looked up into his blue eyes. "But he wouldn't promise me that he's going to come out of this alive, Cid."

"That's just the way he is, Tiff. You know that." In an uncharacteristic move, he reached up and put an errant bit of her hair back behind her ear, as he kept locked in her gaze. "It's all right, Tifa. I'll be here with you, okay?"

She reached up and touched the hand he still had against the side of her head. "Okay."

-------------------

At fifteen 'til seven, Reno walked into Vincent's room without so much as knocking. He was dressed in the usual ASRIO mission outfit, and had another just like it in his hands for Vincent. "Brought your prom dress, Vinny."

He rose up from the couch where he'd ended up after talking to Tifa, and accepted the clothes from Reno. Without a word, he disappeared into the bathroom to get dressed.

Reno went and landed on the couch where Vincent had just gotten up from. "Oh, hey, you know I like it when you make it all warm for me like this."

The bathroom door cracked open a little and Vincent looked out, wondering what in the hell Reno was talking about. When he saw his son-in-law in his vacated spot, he understood and rolled his eyes before shutting the door and getting back to dressing.

The ASRIO leader pulled his legs up onto the couch and began to flip through the channels endlessly while he waited for Vincent to re-emerge. "So, you excited 'bout going back into action?"

Muffled through the door, Vincent's response could be heard. "Not particularly."

"Oh, come on. You've missed it, don't lie."

Again, through the door came his answer. "Shut up."

Reno finally settled upon the weather channel as per his norm. "Supposed to rain tonight."

Vincent stepped out of the bathroom, redressed in his outfit. He went over to the dresser and strapped his gun to his leg.

Reno studied him. Now seeing him in the form-fitting shirt that he'd been provided with, Reno could appreciate the fact that Vincent had thickened up a little over the years. "Vinny, you've packed on a few pounds."

He pulled his gun from its holster and turned to Reno. "You have, too."

Reno raised his eyebrows. "Yeah, well…put the gun away. What can I say? Angel knows how to fuckin' cook. Tifa must not do too bad herself."

The fact was that most of Vincent's weight gain had come as a result of his drinking, but this was not a confession he felt like making to his present company. "She cooks just fine."

Being far more intuitive than anyone ever gave him credit for, Reno knew that Vincent was upset about several things. He looked at his watch, seeing that they still had ten minutes. Then again, there would be no departure for the mission until he decided to show up at the chopper anyway. Such was the benefit of being in charge. He slid his legs back off the couch. "Vinny, come over here."

He didn't move, and just looked over, cocking an eyebrow as he slipped his gun back into its holster.

"Seriously." Reno patted the cushions next to him.

Feeling ridiculous about obeying Reno's request, he hung his head and went over, sitting beside the other man.

Reno reached out and put his hand on Vincent's shoulder. "Things ain't so good, huh?"

Vincent's eyes went wide and he looked at Reno. "What?"

"You've gone back to that sorta sulky depressed thing you used to pull, Vinny." Reno let his hand fall away. "What's bugging you? I mean, other than Jaras."

There was no way on God's green Earth that he was going to get into this with Reno, either now or ever. It was bad enough that both Janice and Jeanine knew about his problems. "Nothing."

Reno looked a little disappointed and hurt. "You know, I was around Tseng for a long time, right?"

"Yes. You and he were close."

"Well, he did certain things when he was upset." Reno shrugged. "You sorta do those same things, Vinny. It's kinda like being with him again when I'm with you."

Vincent narrowed his eyes. "Oh?"

"Yeah, and so that's why I can sit here right now, and know that you're lying. Something's tearing you up. I can understand if you don't want me to know what it is, but you've got to tell me that you're gonna be all right when all's said and done." Reno smiled faintly. "My girl wouldn't be happy to know her old man's upset."

Vincent forced a grin, but he was genuinely touched on some level by Reno's concern. "I'll be fine, Reno. I always am."

"Good enough." Reno got up from the couch. "They're waitin' on us. Let's head out."

Remembering how cold it could get on the helicopter, Vincent grabbed his cloak before heading out. He would leave it on the chopper during the mission, but at least it could keep him warm during the flight.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Vincent followed Reno up onto the airfield. The chopper was waiting there, and the other few men going along were there near it.

Upon seeing Vincent, Ericson broke away from the group and came over, extending his hand toward him. "Long time, no see."

Vincent forced a smile that he wasn't feeling as he accepted the handshake. "Yeah."

Kimo and Spencer also came over.

Recognizing the heavyset blond, Vincent nodded at him. "Kimo."

"Mr. Valentine, glad you could make it," he replied, hands on his hips.

Reno motioned toward Spencer. "Vincent, this is Spencer. He's been with us for a little while."

Vincent examined him for a moment. Spencer was blonde like Kimo, but that's where the similarities ended. He was fit, muscular-- clearly a man that spent a lot of time in the gym everyday. His dark eyes stared back at Vincent, not betraying much feeling. Vincent couldn't help but think that he looked familiar in a way. He almost smiled, _This is what Quigley would look like if he actually got out of the lab and worked out on occasion._

"Good to meet you, Mr. Valentine," Spencer stated, not wanting Vincent to keep staring at him.

"You, too." Vincent turned to Reno. "Shall we?"

"Sure thing, let's get this thing over with." Reno turned from the group and went over to the chopper, signaling for everyone else to do the same.

Once everyone was onboard, Brad fired up the engines and lifted the elderly bird up into the darkening sky.

Reno sat next to Vincent after handing out mission packs to everyone. "So, Vinny, what's up?"

Vincent opted to disregard him for the moment, as he rummaged through the pack given to him by Reno. Inside, there was a radio headset, a box of rounds that were compatible with Vincent's gun, a few first aid items, and in the very bottom, was a chocolate bar. He grabbed this last thing and pulled it out. Vincent cocked an eyebrow at Reno as he held up the candy between them.

Reno smiled. "Come on, I didn't forget. You like that crap."

The fact that Reno had noticed his small propensity for chocolate Vincent found interesting. He went ahead and pulled the wrapper from the candy and got to eating it.

Satisfied that Vincent was content at least for the moment, Reno reached down into his own pack and put on his headset. The others in the helicopter soon did the same so they could hear him over the rotor's noise.

The ASRIO leader got up from his seat, and stood between all the men present. "Okay, here's the obligatory pep talk."

Everyone just stared at him. They all knew that he rarely had anything of significance to say during these in flight talks, and the wise ones among them were aware that he just did this because Tseng always had.

"Okay." He knelt down on the floor of the chopper. "I just want to say that it's cool all of you agreed to go on this mission. Every one of you volunteered without being asked. I know this is all a little more rushed than we're used to. I'm hoping that this won't be too bad. We've gone into some heavily guarded facilities and made it out just fine, and this small lab in Junon is nothing like the Midgar building. I wouldn't be surprised if they've gotten increased security there in light of the situation, but we ain't received any word of any heightened state there, so maybe we're gonna be lucky."

Those amassed were given a moment to digest all of this, as Reno thought out his next words.

"So, the lab is on the fifth floor in the building. We haven't infiltrated this building in three years, so there's a good chance that they're a little relaxed. We're going in on the roof. Ericson will crack the entry code to get the helipad elevator to open up and we'll just ride down to the lab. Being late, I'm thinking the normal workers will be gone, so there shouldn't be too much going on. Find Jaras, pull him out, get back to the roof, using either the stairs or elevator." Reno frowned for a moment. "Now, our plant told us that they were intending on injecting him with Jenova again. If they already have, he's not going to be the same Jaras that those of us who've met him know. Still, try to get him to come along, but if he resists, and you can't get him to submit to going, just leave him and get the hell out. I don't want to lose anyone over this if he's not _our_ Jaras anymore. Understood?"

Vincent let the last bit of his candy bar fall to the floor-- he'd just lost his appetite. Abandoning Jaras, infected with Jenova or not, just wasn't an option. "I'm not leaving that lab without my son, Reno."

"Look," Reno sighed, and came back to Vincent's side, pulling off his headset so he and Vincent could talk without the other's hearing. "I know you want your boy back, but he might not be your Jaras anymore, Vinny."

"You didn't tell me that they intended to shoot him full of Jenova again!" Vincent's eyes were narrowed in anger.

"Look, telling you that before now woulda just upset you more." Reno felt a sweat break upon his skin, despite the fact the inside of the chopper wasn't particularly warm.

"You're damn right it would, but I think I had a right to know," he growled. "Is there anything else you might have forgotten to tell me that you found out?"

Reno closed his eyes and hung his head. "That they were starting the work on him immediately."

Vincent felt like he'd just been hit in the stomach. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah."

_Shit,_ Vincent thought to himself, pulling out his heart pills yet again and taking one.

Reno watched this and knew what was up, even though Dr. Arlin hadn't said anything to him. This was the same thing that he'd gotten accustomed to his former boss doing. "Vinny, you got the fucked up heart, too?"

He didn't answer, just slipping his pill vial back into his pocket.

Reno leaned back in his seat. He wished he'd known this before. The ASRIO leader would have forbidden Vincent from going. After watching what had happened when Tseng had suffered a heart attack on a mission, he wasn't willing to see something similar happen to Vincent. "You're heart better not kill you on this trip, Vinny."

"I don't think my heart will be any problem." Vincent turned to look out of the small window in the side of the helicopter. He was done talking.

--------------------------

Although it was dinnertime and the boys needed to eat, Cid didn't want Tifa to have to cook, as he could tell she was feeling horrible. Whether it was just her stress over Vincent or not, he wasn't sure, but he was getting the feeling that she was actually getting sick. This didn't sit well with him in the least, as it started to make him fear that she was going to have a problem like Shera had.

He was sitting next to her on the couch, as the boys were off playing in Aaron's room. "Tiff?"

She turned her tired gaze to him. "Yeah?"

"Want me to go pick up something?" he offered.

Tifa shook her head. "No, everything's so far from here, I don't want you to have to do that."

"But what about dinner?" Cid himself was hungry.

"Let me go see." She pushed herself up from the couch and walked slowly into the kitchen.

Cid felt bad for her and followed, going and leaning against the kitchen counter as she began to search through the refrigerator. "Look, I don't want you to have to cook anything. You don't feel too good."

Tifa's shoulders slumped and she closed the fridge door. "No, I don't."

"Vincent?" he asked.

"Something's wrong, Cid. I can't say what it might be, but something's just…wrong."

Cid reached out and grabbed her hand, before leading her over to the kitchen table and having her sit. "Don't worry about it, Tifa."

She remained in her chair and watched as Cid went to the pantry and began to examine its contents. After a few minutes of contemplation, he pulled out a box of macaroni. Pleased with this find, he neared the stove and set it down, and got to the task of finding an appropriate pot and filling it with water.

Watching him cook, even with as simple a thing as he was making, forced Tifa to smile. This was a rare site. She knew good and well that Cid had, more or less, raised L.C. on pizza and burgers as the man hated working at the stove.

--------------------------

As Reno had said earlier, they encountered a rainstorm as they neared Junon. It was completely dark outside of the chopper as it was nearing midnight, but tiny beads of water were occasionally visible upon the small window that Vincent was sitting next to. When he felt the chopper bank and begin to descend, he realized that they were there.

Reno stood up and shouldered his pack, indicating that everyone needed to do so.

Brad lined up the chopper with the small helipad upon the roof to the Junon facility, and set it down quickly.

Feeling the machine come to a rest, Reno stepped forward and pulled the door on the side of the bird open, then jumping out onto the roof. Everyone went to follow him. Vincent had left his red cloak in the seat he'd been occupying. There was a note in the pocket that he hoped no one would have to read.

Once out of the helicopter, they made their way toward the elevator, and Brad took his chopper back into the air. Out in the open like they were, they could now realize exactly how much it was raining. Before they ever got to the small overhang before the elevator doors, they were all soaked.

Ericson pulled a small pass card from his pocket and slid it into a slot next to a keypad close to the elevator doors. An LED came on, and he typed in a code on the pad, and the little light went from red to green.

The elevator doors parted and they went in, making their way toward the fifth floor. Since the building was only seven stories tall, this wasn't a long ride. As the elevator descended, Vincent pulled out his gun and checked it, keeping it held before him in anticipation of there potentially being a problem when the elevator stopped.

And it did stop.

The doors parted, revealing an empty hallway.

Reno started forward, a gun in his hand as well. Although he still carried his electric night staff, he'd learned his lesson of not having a gun at hand during his last ventures into the field.

They stopped before the security doors to the lab, and again Ericson cracked the code and got them unlocked.

Vincent went forward first, pushing past Ericson and entering the lab, his weapon held out before him. Although he was hit with his deep phobia of being in a Shinra lab, his drive to save his son was far stronger. He examined the scene before him.

In the center of the room was a prison cell like structure. Although the lights in the rest of the lab were dimmed, within the cell it was brightly lit. There didn't appear to be anyone in the lab at the moment, other than whoever was lying in the bed in the cage.

Vincent went forward with the others, scanning his surroundings the entire time. He approached the side of the cell, and could see that it was Jaras lying beneath the sheet upon the bed. His voice barely audible, he whispered, "Jaras?"

Sephiroth's cat like eyes opened and he sat up. Looking over, he saw Vincent next to his cage. This was an opportunity he couldn't pass up. "Dad?"

"Are you all right?" Vincent asked, relieved to see that Jaras at least looked okay.

He got up from the bed, and came over to the bars. "Get me out."

"Just a second." Vincent turned to Reno. "How do we get him out of this thing?"

Reno pulled a key ring from his pocket, containing masters of various Shinra keys. "Got it." He went over to the door of the cage and began trying out keys.

"Did they do anything to you?" Vincent asked, moving along the cage bars toward the door, as Jaras walked over to it.

Sephiroth reached back and touched the knife he still had hidden beneath his shirt, behind his back. "Not yet."

"Good. Jeanine is back at the base waiting for you. She was really worried." Vincent stopped moving, now close to Reno.

Sephiroth cocked an eyebrow at the mention of the woman's name. Something within his heart ached for her, but it was overridden with his desire for escape. "I see."

Reno finally found the right key.

The response that Jaras had given upon hearing Jeanine mentioned was wrong, and Vincent knew it. Just as Reno started to pull open the door to the cell, Vincent reached over and slammed it back shut.

"What the fuck, Vinny?" Reno asked, turning to the other man.

Before Vincent had a chance to respond, Sephiroth reached through the bars and put his arm around Vincent's neck, pulling him back against the cage. In a flash, he had the knife produced and the blade resting up against his father's throat. He looked at Reno, restraining his prisoner. "Open that door."

"What the fuck you doing, Jaras? That's your old man!" Reno made no move to open the cell again, confused.

Vincent already knew the horrible truth. "Don't do it, Reno. He's not Jaras."

The ASRIO leader's eyes went wide, and he started to back away. "Oh shit."

Sephiroth grew furious. "If you don't want to see me kill him, you _will_ open this cell at once!"

Before Reno moved forward and did something stupid, Vincent realized that he still had his gun in his hand. He put it behind him as best as possible under the circumstances, and pulled the trigger.

Sephiroth was hit by the bullet in the thigh. It wasn't a fatal injury by any means, but it was just enough for him to let go of Vincent, who scrambled a safe distance away.

--------------------------

In the private office off of the main lab room, Peirte and Toskin heard the gunshot. The scientist instantly hit an alarm button. He knew better than to go out and face a group of ASRIO agents with just the lone Turk, and remained where he was, deciding to emerge only when the guards came in.

Peirte went over and opened up the locker in the office, pulling forth an assault rifle. He held it out to Toskin. "Take this. It's far more effective than your side arm."

The Turk took the rifle and smiled.

--------------------------

With the alarm now blaring, Reno looked over at Spencer, Kimo, and Ericson. "Time to go!"

They began to head for the door, but before they got to it, a pair of Shinra guards ran in, submachine guns drawn and at the ready.

Kimo, with his gun already drawn, fired one well-placed round, taking out one of the guards at once.

The other guard began to fire, his gun pealing off a dozen shots within a matter of seconds. Spencer was hit by several of these rounds and fell to the ground, screaming.

"Spence!" Reno said, watching his man writhe in death throes on the ground.

Kimo took aim again, and killed the second guard, and by the time this other man hit the ground, Spencer's cries had ceased, as he was now dead as well.

Reno looked at Vincent, Ericson, and Kimo. "Run!"

The three of them complied, and made for the door. Vincent stopped one last time to look back at his son, standing in the cage with blood soaking the right leg of his pants. Sephiroth seemed unmoved by the scenario around him, just angry in the knowledge that his escape hadn't happened.

"Vinny, quit fucking around! Let's go!" Reno yelled back, the other two men already on the elevator.

Vincent turned and saw three more Shinra guards burst forth from the stairwell, between he and the elevators. His escape was, for the moment, cut off. Seeing that one of the guards was aiming at him, Vincent raised his gun and let off two shots.

The guard facing him was struck in the head by Vincent's bullets and went down. The other two guards began a gunfight with Ericson, Kimo, and Reno.

Reno, not having the benefit of the cover offered to the other two men by the elevator, ducked into a nearby doorframe, getting grazed in the right arm by one of the guards' bullets. His injury had caused him to lose his gun, and it clattered to the ground a short distance away.

Ericson and Kimo fired back from within the elevator, hitting and wounding the two other Shinra guards.

The lab doors opened again behind Vincent, and as he turned to see who was behind him, he was kicked forcefully by Toskin. He fell back and hit the ground hard, his Death Penalty being knocked from his grip, and sliding down the corridor for some distance.

Reno stepped out of the doorway, seeing Vincent hit the ground. He spotted the Death Penalty just a short way off and ran for it.

Toskin saw this movement, and trained his rifle on Vincent. "If anyone moves, I'll kill him."

Ericson, Kimo, and Reno all froze. The Turk was standing immediately before their companion, and they knew he wouldn't hesitate to kill Vincent.

Toskin gave another order. "You two in the elevator, throw down your weapons."

Not willing to risk Vincent's life, Ericson and Kimo did as ordered, dropping their guns to the floor outside the elevator's doors.

The lab doors opened again and Peirte Methius strolled out. He walked up to Toskin's side and looked down upon Vincent. He recognized the other man instantly. There were plenty of pictures of him amongst Hojo's notes. "Mr. Valentine… come for your son, have you? Get up."

Vincent slowly complied, rising from the floor. His side ached terribly from where Toskin had kicked him. He was backed up against the wall, Peirte standing directly before him, flanked by his Turk, who had his weapon trained upon him. With his own gun now lying down the hall close to Reno, he had no way to defend himself and he raised his hands in surrender.

Reno remained frozen in place, seeing Vincent being held at gunpoint. He knew that he should be running over to the others and getting out, but he couldn't bring himself to leave Vincent behind. He wished there were some way for him to get the Death Penalty lying at his feet over to his father-in-law, but didn't know how to go about it without costing both he and Vincent their lives.

Vincent glanced over at Reno, silently begging him to go ahead and escape while he was the center of attention. Angel had promised him to keep Reno from doing something stupid, but here he was, possibly blowing his only chance at freedom.

Peirte grinned at the situation. "So, the great Vincent Valentine that I've read so much about is giving up?"

Vincent didn't see that he had a choice, being cornered, unarmed, and at the end of a gun. "There's nothing I can do."

"Shoot him," Peirte said flatly to the guard beside him.

The Turk never took his eyes off of Vincent, but he didn't comply immediately. "But Sir, he's surrendering!"

"I said shoot him!" Peirte's voice was now angry.

Without another moment of hesitation, the Turk pulled the trigger, sending a burst of five rounds into Vincent.

Reno saw this and gasped. "Shit! Vincent!"

Vincent remained exactly where he was, backed against the wall. His eyes were wide, and his mouth dropped open. All five bullets had hit him in the center of the chest, ripping through his heart.

In movies, people that get shot like this just hit the floor instantly dead, but that isn't the way it really is. Vincent looked down at his injury. Blood gushed forth with each attempt his heart made to keep beating in its ruined state, doing no more than soaking his shirt. He tried to take a breath, but the effort was not rewarded at all. The pain was unimaginable, and he placed his hands over his chest, in some vain attempt to keep from dying.

Reno couldn't believe it. He realized that Vincent was done for.

Vincent started to slide down the wall, and he looked over at Reno one last time. His lips silently mouthed the order, _Run_.

Reno shook himself out of his shock and quickly swept up the gun before him. He fired off one round from the weapon, hitting the Turk that had just killed Vincent before turning and running after his teammates. The elevator doors shut, cutting off Reno and his men's view of the scene.

Toskin had been struck in the head and hit the ground.

Vincent was now sitting with his back against the wall, but as his strength faded, he fell to his side. He saw Peirte stoop down to look at him in his final moments. Vincent's ears started to ring, and his vision was growing blurry.

His destroyed heart continued to try beating in futility a few more times before stopping completely. It was strange in that moment. Vincent actually felt his heart quit trying. Silent images began to run through his mind as he started to slip from consciousness, and as his mind settled on one last image, his lips made out two last words, reflecting what he saw. _Aaron… Tifa…_

Then, he succumbed to death.

--------------------------

Tifa, unable to sleep, was sitting on the couch watching late night television with Cid. Suddenly, she felt a terrible pain in her chest and threw herself from the couch, clutching her hands to her chest.

Cid flew down to her side, and put his arm around her shoulders. "What's wrong?"

Not feeling like she was able to catch her breath, Tifa felt tears sting her eyes. There wasn't anything wrong with her at all, but somehow, she felt like she'd been hit in the chest by something. "Oh God…"

Now Cid was terrified. He thought that she was having a heart attack like Vincent had. "Tiff? Talk to me!"

She turned her tear filled eyes to the pilot. "Something's happened…"

"What do you mean? Do you need to go to the hospital?" Cid pulled her to him tighter.

Tifa shook her head, and looked down to where she still had her hands clasped to her chest. "No… I just had this… vision…"

Cid got directly in front of her and took her face into his hands, making her look at him. "A vision of what?"

"Vincent…" she said, her voice choked by her tears, "dying."

Cid put his arms around her and pulled her to him. "You're just scared, Tifa. It's all right."

--------------------------

Reno, Ericson, and Kimo rode in the elevator toward the roof in silence, save for the few words that Reno spoke into the radio in order to alert Brad to get the chopper ready. The three men were all staring at one another, disbelieving how badly things had just gone. When the elevator came to a stop upon the roof, Reno, still wielding Vincent's gun, stepped out first, seeing that it was clear.

Brad, as always, was there and waiting. They ran the short distance to the helicopter and boarded. A single guard appeared on the roof as Reno prepared to close the door on the side of the bird, and without any expression at all, he raised Vincent's gun and got off a shot, killing their pursuer.

As they got back into the sky, Reno went up to Brad in the cockpit, and landed in the co-pilot's seat, before donning the chopper's spare headset.

Brad glanced over at Reno, familiar enough with the man to know that something was wrong. "Who didn't make it?"

"Spencer."

"And?"

Reno hung his head and his shoulders heaved. He damn near couldn't bring himself to say it. "Vinny."

The pilot's eyes went wide and he looked over at Reno again. "Oh fuck, man, that's bad."

"I know." Reno slumped into the seat, looking away and out the side window, not wanting Brad to see him cry. "We completely failed. I'm such a fucking idiot. I never should have let him come along. Spencer was a pro, he knew what was at stake, but Vinny… shit, Vinny has a wife and kid back home. Hell, he's got a new God damned baby on the way in a few weeks. I fucked up, Brad. Jaras…he's already been injected, so this was all just a waste of time."

Brad was quiet for a few minutes, not being very skilled in the area of comforting other people. "So, do you want us to go back to the base and drop off the guys and then have me take someone to go deliver the news to the widow?"

This was one last mission that Reno would take upon himself. "Let's just go toward Kalm now. Tifa deserves to know tonight, and she deserves to hear it from me."

Agreeing, Brad banked the helicopter back the other direction, pointing them toward Vincent's former home.

--------------------------

Quigley awoke to the sound of his phone ringing. He almost didn't answer, but realized that only someone with news would be calling him this late. "Huh?"

Reno had to speak loudly to be heard over the helicopter's engines. "Quiggers?"

"Yeah, Reno…" He flopped onto his back, the phone still held to his ear. "Where are you?"

"On the chopper."

"Duh, I guessed that much, I mean, _where_ are you?" Quigley wasn't a fan of being roused from a good sleep.

"I got some really bad news, Quig." Reno's voice seemed strained.

The ASRIO researcher sat up. He'd been away from the base for a few weeks, having gone to a conference on cybernetics in Midgar, and had no knowledge of recent events or the mission. "What's that, Reno?"

"Shinra found Jaras, and took him to Junon. We went on a mission to try and get him, and we failed." Reno closed his eyes, shutting out the stares of the other men on the chopper. "There were casualties."

Quigley reached over and turned on the light. His little brother, Spencer, had started working on mission teams just two years ago. "Reno, please tell me Spence wasn't one of them."

"I'm sorry, guy." The ASRIO leader hung his head. "Spencer and Vincent."

Quigley just slammed down the phone. He didn't want to hear anymore.

--------------------------

At two in the morning, Tifa was still sitting on the couch with Cid. They had turned the television off some time ago, and had just been talking about things. Keeping her absorbed in conversation about things other than Vincent was the best Cid could do to keep her calm.

Cid heard the helicopter approaching long before Tifa, and he knit his brow. He could tell by the sound of the machine that it was an old military chopper, not a modern police helicopter or med-evac like he might otherwise expect to hear at this time of night. "Sounds like a huey."

Tifa felt a sweat break across her skin, and a tentative spark of hope ignited within her. "Maybe Vincent's come home…"

They got up and walked to the back door of the house, as they could hear the helicopter coming down in the field behind it. Cid reached out to open the door, but Tifa grabbed his hand.

She smiled weakly. "Let's just let him come to the door, first."

Cid couldn't understand this. Tifa had always been one to run out the door to greet people. Then he realized the truth. She didn't want to go out there, because if Vincent wasn't on that helicopter, it would delay the moment that she found out that he was gone for a few seconds longer. He let his hand fall back to his side, opting to let her have those moments.

Then, a knock came to the door.

Tifa closed her eyes and clasped her hands together before her for a brief second, and then forced a smile and opened the door.

There, standing in the rain, was Reno. In his hands held before him was Vincent's cloak, folded up, with his Death Penalty lying atop it. His eyes were red and even though his face was wet from the rain, it was obvious that he had been crying, and doing so for a long time. "Tifa…"

Seeing him there with those two lonely objects in his hands confirmed the worst. Tifa felt her knees go weak and had Cid not been beside her take her into his arms, she would have fallen. She couldn't pull her eyes from that cloak and gun. "No…Reno, no!"

The ASRIO leader didn't move to enter the house, and just stayed in the rain. Deciding that he needed to say something, he got out the only words he could. "It was fast, Tifa. He didn't suffer."

Finally, she turned in Cid's embrace and buried her face in his chest, crying with abandon. She'd known from the outset that it was going to end this way, and despite her pleas to Vincent not to go, he had anyway. Now, he was dead, and Aaron was without a father. "God no…"

Cid pulled her back from the door, and looked at Reno. "Get in here."

Reno hung his head and complied. He walked straight toward the kitchen and placed the items in his hands upon the center of the table, before collapsing back into a chair. He was more tired at that moment than he had been since the day Elena had been killed.

Cid brought Tifa in, and sat her down before pulling his own chair next to hers so he could keep holding her as she broke down. Now situated, the pilot looked into Reno's bloodshot eyes. "What happened?"

Reno drew in a jagged breath and leaned forward. "We dropped off on the roof, and went down to the lab. It was empty and we found Jaras there in a cage. Vincent went up and started talking to him, while I got to unlocking the door. Right before I let Jaras out, Vincent stopped me. He'd realized before the rest of us that Jaras… wasn't Jaras anymore."

To hear this just added one more level to Tifa's misery.

"Anyway, fucking Jaras then grabbed Vincent through the bars and got a knife to his throat, so Vinny reaches back with his gun and shoots him in the leg and manages to get way. The alarm goes off and we start to run away, realizin' that there's no point in the mission. One of my guys gets killed by a guard, then the rest of us start to run. Instead of keeping up with us, though, fucking Vinny stops and looks back at Jaras, and some guards show up. We have a little shoot out, but take out all of the fuckers. Just as Vinny starts to come toward us, some god damned Turk runs out of the lab and kicks Vinny to the ground, knocking his gun from his hand. The Turk had a rifle aimed right at him, and he ordered us to freeze. Some nut job then comes out of the lab and orders Vinny to get up, which he does. This guy and Vinny talk, and Vinny decides to surrender, knowing that there wasn't nothing he could do." Reno shook his head and fell silent.

"If he surrendered, then why's he dead?" Cid asked.

"The guy that'd come out of the lab ordered the Turk to shoot him." Reno wiped his eyes again. "Vinny had about a half dozen bullets pumped into the middle of his chest from the rifle."

Tifa pulled out of Cid's embrace and placed her hands upon the table. She met Reno's gaze with her own tear stained eyes. "They killed him even though he gave up?"

Reno just nodded.

Tifa closed her eyes, feeling Cid place his hand upon her back. Her body was literally starting to feel numb from all of this, and she didn't like the feeling. She now knew what the pain had been in her own chest earlier that evening, and realized that she had felt Vincent's death.

Cid knew what she was thinking, and felt a chill go over his skin. How she could have felt what she had earlier was beyond his realm of understanding. "Tifa, are you okay?"

Opening her eyes and turning toward him, she confessed. "No."

Although he hated to give this sort of news and then run off, Reno had other men in the chopper that wanted to go home. He rose from his seat. "I need to go."

Tifa and Cid also rose from their respective seats and followed him to the door.

Before Reno left, he turned and took Tifa into his arms. He whispered into her ear, "Tifa, are you gonna be okay?"

"I don't know right now," she replied in her wavering voice.

Reno kissed her cheek and stepped back. "I'm sorry, it's all my fucking fault, Tifa. I hope you can forgive me."

She shook her head. "It's not your fault, Reno. It's not anyone's. Besides, I think…I think it was they way he always figured he would go."

Reno flashed her an insincere smile. "Okay, well, I'll call you tomorrow, okay?" He turned his eyes to Cid. "You can take care of her, right?"

The pilot nodded. He had no intention of letting Tifa out of his sight. "She's a tough girl, she'll be okay."

"Right. Bye." Reno turned and walked out, closing the door behind himself and returning to the chopper.

Tifa began to cry again, and Cid led her back to her bedroom. He had her lay down upon the bed, not thinking it a great idea for someone in her condition to be this upset. He lay down beside Tifa, on his side so he could face her. "Tifa?"

She just stared back at him, tears still running from her eyes.

Cid reached over and stroked her cheek. "Tell me what you're thinking."

Tifa reached up and grabbed his hand, taking it away from her face and clutching it to her chest. "I've got a young child, this baby on the way, my husband is dead, and I'm going to be alone."

Cid frowned and tensed his jaw. Silently, he cursed his own fate, but offered her the only thing he had to give. "You're not gonna be alone for a while."

"You've only got four months, Cid. Then what? What am I going to do? Three kids? What am I going to do?" Tifa gazed back into his blue eyes.

"No, only two kids, Tiff. I can't expect you to take L.C. now. That wouldn't be fair to you," Cid said quietly.

"Where else would he go, Cid?" Tifa could see the pain in the man's expression. "I know you don't have any family to leave him to. I'd still be glad to take him. He's good, and it might help Aaron through this to have him around. The two of them… will be able to relate to one another. Telling Aaron tomorrow morning is going to be hard."

The thought of the two boys being fatherless was miserable for the pilot. At least the child she was carrying now wouldn't know either Vincent or him, and wouldn't mourn their deaths. "I'll fight this as long as I can."

She appreciated his brave front toward his terminal illness, but she was a realist. The very same condition had claimed her grandfather long ago, and she knew what Cid was facing. "I know you will."

Although he knew how upset Tifa was, he could see her exhaustion written clearly upon her face. "Do you want me to go back to the guest room so you can try and get some sleep?"

She didn't let go of his hand. "No, stay with me. Sleep as in sleep, no mates to make jealous anymore… just stay."

Seeing that she was now tired enough to not be completely coherent, Cid smiled. He remembered all the times they had shared a bed seven years ago, and it was a memory he had kept close to his heart all this time. Falling back into that habit, even though he was the one that had originally put an end to it, was something that he was more than willing to do. _A dying man shouldn't have to worry about his vices too much_, he thought. "All right."

--------------------------

Rude was just starting back toward his apartment, since the bars had all finally closed for the night. As he sat in his car at a stoplight, his phone rang and he answered. "Yeah?"

"It's Dr. Methius."

Rude shuttered. The man gave him the willies. "What can I do for you, Doctor?"

"I need a new Turk."

"Why, may I ask?" Although the scientist hadn't gone through Turks at the same rate Hojo had, he was still up to his fifth one now.

"Toskin seems to have had a nasty run in with a bullet. ASRIO tried to free Sephiroth." Peirte leaned back at his desk, reaching out and tapping the side of a metal bowl that was upon it.

Rude pulled his car over to the side of the road. Driving slightly drunk was bad enough, but doing it while talking on the phone was worse. The fact that ASRIO hadn't succeeded was obvious from the scientist's tone, and Rude rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Who did they send in? Were there any other casualties?"

Peirte sighed. "If I'm not mistaken, it was Ericson, Spencer, Kimo, and get this, they actually brought Reno _and_ Vincent Valentine."

Rude closed his eyes, bracing for any bad news. "And?"

"Well, we lost a few guards and Toskin. A shame, really. As for the intruders, Spencer was killed right off, and we corned Mr. Valentine, and I had him executed. Shot in the heart by Toskin before Reno killed him in turn. The other ASRIO men escaped." Peirte smiled as he craned his neck to look out the open door to his office. Vincent's body was presently lying on a dissection table. He then looked at the bloody mass lying in a stainless steel bowl upon his desk. "Mr. Valentine's heart was on the verge of failing him anyway, so to have it riddled with bullets as it was…well, no great loss."

The Turk fell quiet. The fact that Reno had made it out was good to hear, but he had gained a healthy respect for Vincent over the years, and was less than happy to know he was dead. Yet, he still had a job to do and cover to keep. "They didn't get Jar-- Sephiroth then, I assume."

The fact that Rude had just started to refer to Sephiroth as Jaras caught the scientist's attention, but he let it go after a moment. "No, but it would seem that Mr. Valentine shot my specimen in the leg. He will recover within hours though, thanks to the Jenova I infused him with earlier."

"Well, I'll put in a request for another Turk to be assigned for you. The ranks are a little thin right now, though, so it may take a while, Doctor," Rude said, wondering what poor soul was going to be sentenced to the scientist's side next.

"Well, would it just be easier if I made my own?" Peirte asked, his voice betraying the fact that he was probably joking.

"Make a couple of them while you're at it," Rude teased back, somewhat out of character, but he was tired of watching his fellow Turks being given suicidal assignments, "so you can have a spare."

Peirte outright laughed. "Very good, will do. I will speak with you later, Rude. Goodbye."

"Bye, Doctor." Rude tossed his phone over to the passenger seat and started driving again. The knowledge that Vincent was dead was bringing up what the Turk had felt when Tseng had died, and it wasn't a welcome feeling. "Damn it."

--------------------------

Aaron woke up early. He looked over at the small clock sitting on his dresser, and wondered if he was going to be sent to school today or not. He'd only just started kindergarten, but due to circumstances, he'd missed the last few days.

The boy sat up, and looked around. The sun was just coming up, brightening his room. L.C. was asleep on the floor beside his bed, oblivious.

Aaron decided that even though it was early, he was hungry and got out of bed, heading out to the kitchen in his pajamas. He came around the corner to the kitchen slowly, needing to see if anyone else was up and around at this hour. Once he saw that it was all clear, he went and pulled a bowl from the cabinet and filled it with cereal. After he poured milk into it, Aaron took up his breakfast and went over to the table.

Before he sat, his eyes were caught by the red cloak lying on the table. Seeing the gun there as well, Aaron set down his cereal and smiled. _Dad came home,_ he thought to himself.

He ate his breakfast and then put the bowl into the sink and headed for his parents' room. Without knocking, he silently opened the door and stepped in. His mother's side of the bed was closest to him, and he could see the shape of a second person beneath the sheets with her. Aaron's smile returned and he crept over to his father's usual place.

The boy reached out and touched who he assumed was his father, in an effort to wake him.

Cid grunted and sat up, looking at the boy. "Aaron?"

Aaron's eyes went wide and his smile fell. "Where's my dad? What are _you_ doing in here?"

Tifa heard this and sat up as well. She saw Aaron and Cid staring at one another, each at a loss for what to say.

Aaron now had tears in his eyes. This man was not supposed to be here, of that much he was certain. He failed to keep his voice down, and in an uncharacteristic moment, he actually yelled. "Where's my dad!"

Tifa got out of bed and went over, kneeling down before her son. "Aaron, your dad's not here."

He shook his head. "He must be, his stuff's in the kitchen!"

Tifa realized her mistake in not taking Vincent's belongings with her. The idea that she'd left his gun out there in the kitchen where the boys could have gotten to it struck her. She glanced over at Cid. "Go get the gun out of the kitchen, okay?"

The pilot nodded. He, too, had not given any thought to this either, and knew that it could have been bad.

Now alone with his mother, Aaron got angry. "Why was _he _in here, Mom? Tell me what's going on!"

Tifa quickly got tears in her eyes. "Aaron…your dad, he isn't coming back."

"What?" The boy hastily sat down on the floor. "Because you've decided to be with Cid? Then why is Dad's stuff here?"

She shook her head. "No, nothing happened between Cid and I last night, Aaron. He just stayed with me because I was sad."

"Mom, just tell me what's going on." Aaron narrowed his eyes, tears evident in his voice.

The kid sounded so much like Vincent, that it just pained her more. "Reno came by here last night with your dad's things. He told us that while your dad was trying to help your brother, he got hurt really badly, and he didn't make it."

Aaron had always hated the fact that adults said things to kids in these sorts of vague terms. While such talk might be easier for most children his age, Aaron wasn't most kids. Yet, this sugar coated way of telling him that his father had been killed got the message across. "Dad's dead?"

Tifa was only able to respond by nodding.

Like many children when they get such news, Aaron couldn't accept it. "No, he's not dead! Reno must be wrong! They need to go back and get him, Mom!"

She had wished that the same thing were true all night long. "I'm sorry, Aaron, but Reno saw him get shot."

Aaron got back up to his feet unsteadily. "I'm…I'm gonna be sick."

Tifa followed him as the boy went into the master bath and threw up. She knelt behind her son and stroked his back as he continued to cling to the toilet. She knew that when the boy was really upset, he tended to get sick to his stomach like this. He got that from his father. "Aaron?"

He gasped for breath, still feeling like he needed to vomit again. "Yeah?"

"Are you going to be okay?" she asked.

The boy moved away from the toilet and sat on the bathroom floor. He wasn't willing to leave this room quite yet. He cocked an eyebrow and looked over at her. "My dad's dead, Mom. Do you think I'm going to be okay?"

Again, the fact he was Vincent's son was clear. Tifa sat before him, handing him a wash rag to wipe his face with. "I know it hurts a lot."

"What do you know about it?" Aaron threw the washrag down on the floor beside him once he was done with it.

Tifa wasn't about to reprimand him for talking to her like that at the moment. The boy was torn up. "My mom died when I was only fourteen, Aaron."

He'd always known his grandparents had all died long before he was born, but the fact that his mother had lost a parent at that young an age was something he wasn't aware of. Yet, there were differences. "Fourteen's a lot different than seven."

She nodded. "It is, but it still hurt, Aaron."

He closed his eyes for a moment. "So now what do we do?"

"Well, Cid and L.C. are going to stay here, and then when Cid passes away, you, L.C., the baby, and I will keep on living here together." Tifa said, hoping that this didn't sound as morbid to the boy as it did to her.

"And until Cid dies, are you going to going to try and replace Dad with him?" Aaron asked, a hint of accusation in his voice.

Tifa put her hands on her son's shoulders. "Aaron, Cid can never, _ever_, replace your dad, I know that. He and I are friends, Aaron."

He knew better. "I'm not stupid. I know about you two."

"Aaron, stop it!" Tifa was a little surprised that she'd finally raised her voice at the boy. She felt like he was intentionally pushing her buttons just like Vincent had tended to do. He had learned from him father _too _well. "I'm not going to get into my relationship with Cid with you, young man. I know that your father dying is hurting you, but don't you go turning that anger on me!"

Aaron blinked back at her, new tears appearing in his eyes. He didn't understand what he was feeling. "I'm… going to my room."

Tifa moved to embrace him, but Aaron moved away from her and ran to his room, slamming the door.

--------------------------

When the helicopter set back down at the ASRIO base, Reno hopped out and walked straight home. He didn't care that it was raining here, just as it had been near Junon.

He had his head hung and his hands shoved down into his pockets as he went. The images of Vincent being shot and then sliding down the wall replayed themselves in his mind time and again. Reno reached down into the lower pocket on his cargo pants and pulled out a flask, undoing the top and taking a large swig. Alcohol was his vice, too.

When he got home, he went in and shuffled down to Dana's room. After checking on his sleeping daughter and giving her a kiss, he gathered the last of his composure and went into the master bedroom where Angel was sleeping.

He silently shed his clothing and then slipped into the bed beside her. Reno draped an arm over her waist and whispered into her ear, "Babe?"

She stirred and turned over, looking up into his eyes. "You're back…"

His expression turned dark. "Yeah, I'm back."

Angel already suspected the worst from the way he hadn't just jumped into bed, instantly trying to get laid. "What happened?"

"We couldn't get your brother." Reno sat up and turned on the light next to the bed. "He was already infused with Jenova."

Angel sat up, too, and closed her eyes. "Poor Jaras…"

Reno scooted over and put an arm around her shoulders. "And there's something else."

She looked to him, fearing the news.

"Your daddy…" Reno swallowed hard. "Vinny didn't make it out alive."

Her expression was blank, completely blank. "He's dead? Are you sure?"

"Babe, I saw it happen. He was hit with a burst from an assault rifle, right in the center of the chest at point blank rage. When he slid down the wall… I could see the bullet holes in the wall where he'd been standing." Reno closed his eyes, trying to push the image from his mind. "There's just no way…"

Angel's initial moment of shock faded and she threw her arms around her husband, and cried. She had lost her father to death, and her brother to something possibly worse.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

Whoa, hold up there, kids. This chapter is a little, uh, graphic in one place (some of you may recall the original version of chapter 85 from GC). Well, this will fall in that same category. So… ye be warned and enjoy.

Sephiroth sat upon the bed in his cell in just his boxers. He was staring down at the wound in his leg, where his father had shot him. It would heal quickly enough, he knew, but he didn't want it closing up with the bullet still inside of him. With the knife he'd been given in his right hand, he got to the task of finding the slug.

He grit his teeth as he slid the blade into the wound. Sephiroth quickly felt the blade glance off of something solid within, and he knew he'd found what he was looking for. With a growl deep in his throat, he managed to pull the spent bullet from his leg.

Blood began to run from the gunshot due to this, and he tied a piece of the sheet from his bed around his leg, curbing the flow. He then picked up the slug from the bed beside him and examined it.

Peirte was standing over Vincent's body, as it still rested upon the dissection table. When he heard Sephiroth sigh in contemplation behind him, he turned, looking into his cage. He spotted the silver haired man sitting there, still entranced by the fragment of metal he'd pulled from his injury.

The scientist walked closer to the bars. "I could have helped you get that out, if you'd been so inclined."

Sephiroth brought his eyes up to meet the doctor's. "It wasn't necessary. I can tend to myself."

"Very good, then. Does it hurt much? Would you like something for the pain?" Peirte asked, genuinely offering. He himself had been shot once during an assassination attempt, and knew how such injuries tended to ache.

Sephiroth almost smiled. Pain meant nothing to him. "Drugs are a crutch I don't need."

"Very good then." Peirte turned back to Vincent's body.

Sephiorth had watched the scientist perform the autopsy on his father, unmoved by the event, as the emotional attachment he had felt for Vincent before was now severed. He saw that the doctor still had Vincent's chest held wide open with a pair of medical retractors, as he had done this earlier while removing Vincent's destroyed heart.

On another table nearby, Spencer's body was also lying. This man's abdomen had been opened up, as the scientist had been curious to see what the bullets that had struck him had done as well.

Both bodies had some sort of tube driven into each side of their necks, and hooked up to an unknown machine.

Sephiroth had no understanding of certain people's compulsions to dismantle and study the dead. He stared on as Dr. Methius pulled on another fresh pair of surgical gloves and began to explore Vincent's entrails again. "Why?"

Peirte looked back over his shoulder at his prisoner. "What's that?"

"Why bother? One dead man looks like any other on the inside." Sephiroth found it entirely repulsive. "Uncivilized to dissect your fellow man, isn't it?"

Methius laughed. "How else can we learn?"

"I think science has learned all it needs to from the bodies of the fallen." His green eyes narrowed in his contemplation. "Gun shot wounds are nothing novel."

"No, in and of themselves, they are not." Peirte looked down at Vincent's cold, bloodied form. "But there are other uses."

Sephiroth cocked an eyebrow. He'd never been much for conversation, but life in the cage was proving boring. "Uses for the dead?"

"Waste not, want not." Dr. Methius looked down into Vincent's empty chest cavity, seeing that the bullets, by some trick of fate, had not hit his spine. "They could be…useful."

Sephiroth sat silent. He'd watched Hojo raise the dead, this was not a new concept. In fact, his own father had been shot in the heart and killed by that scientist. Being dead in such a manner was nothing new for Vincent Valentine.

Peirte laughed upon thinking about his earlier conversation with Rude. "Mr. Valentine here was a Turk."

Sephiroth was well apprised of his father's history. "I'm aware of that."

"Maybe it's time that he was again." Peirte pulled off his gloves and dropped them into the trash.

His knowledge of medicine may have been limited, but Sephiroth knew a little, thanks to having been raised in Hojo's lab. "He's been dead too long. You have to restore oxygenation to the brain within six minutes of death."

Peirte reached over and touched one of the tubes sticking out of the sides of Vincent's neck. "Pray tell, what do you think this is for? I had him hauled in here within minutes and hooked up to this. Low flow bypass machine. Letting him get cold like I have has reduced his need for oxygen. He is very much revivable at this point." Peirte then motioned over to Spencer. "That one as well."

Sephiroth didn't suppress the smile that came to his lips. "Vincent a Turk again? Don't be ridiculous."

"Oh?" Dr. Methius left Vincent's body alone for a moment and strolled to the cage, crossing his arms over his chest. "He had a reputation as being excellent at what he did."

"The Vincent Valentine that Shinra employed as a Turk died a long time ago." Sephiroth dropped the slug he'd still been holding to the floor, and began to wipe the blade of his knife clean upon his bed sheets. "Over the years, and especially since he has been married, he's became complacent. Domesticated. Far, far to soft to be of any practical use as a Turk anymore. He developed… feelings."

Peirte appreciated this insight from the man's son. "Feelings, you say?"

"Yes, ones that would drive him to go right back home to his wife and child. She's expecting a second baby any day." Sephiroth inspected the knife, seeing that it was spotless again.

"Well, we would need to dig up something to dull his desire to go home then, wouldn't we? Although, with a little subtle mental reprogramming, that shouldn't be too hard." The scientist became thoughtful. Having Vincent Valentine as his own person Turk appealed to him on some level. He'd always admired his predecessor Hojo, and to have this was one more way of being more like him. "Although when people that have been dead like this are reawakened, they are more or less…soulless for a time. It would seem that the spirit and body aren't always that eager to be reunited. They tend to be confused, disoriented, and malleable at first. If you get to them in those first hours, manipulating them is very easy. Beyond that, they can be kept compliant via drugs. We can make Mr. Valentine here into whatever I so desire. As for this other, Spencer, we don't know anything about him, so we will just have to get creative."

Sephiroth knew he had information that could help Peirte. "Grant me a request and I can help you. I know everything about him. My knowledge could be useful."

He had Methius' attention. "And what is it that you wish?"

Sephiroth held up the knife. "A sword."

Peirte grinned. This could prove to be a very good partnership indeed. "Let me go pull some strings for you."

Sephiroth, again, smiled. This was all proving to be too easy.

---------

Tifa sat with Cid on the porch swing, watching as the boys played in the yard. Actually, it would be more correct to say that they watched L.C. play, as Aaron was doing little more than sitting in the dirt, fidgeting with a rock before him. L.C. had tried to drag his friend into his game, but Aaron, for now, was withdrawn and intended to stay that way for a while.

"I'm worried about Aaron," Tifa said quietly.

Cid nodded. "Yeah, he seemed pretty upset this morning."

"I know." Tifa hung her head. "He's going to have a really hard time with both his dad dying, and us."

"Us?" Cid cocked an eyebrow and turned to face her. "What do you mean, 'us'?"

She felt color come to her cheeks. "Us, Cid. You know what's going to happen between us now that Vincent's gone."

The thought had crossed his mind, but he needed to hear it from her in no uncertain terms. "Tifa, I'm only going to be around for a little while."

"I know, and I told you that if Vincent weren't around, that I'd make these last four months the best of your life." Tifa scooted closer to him.

His heart raced to hear this, but still, the current situation wasn't one that should be leading them into anything right away. "Tifa, he hasn't even been dead for an entire day yet."

She wiped her eyes with her hand. "I know, and it will probably take me a long time to really get over it, but time... well, it's not a luxury we've got, Cid. We already know how we feel about one another."

"Tifa, don't say this sorta thing to me if you're just gonna go back on it." Cid looked out over the yard. "I couldn't stand to go through that."

She placed a hand on his leg. "Cid, let's be honest. My marriage with Vincent was over anyway. It has been for a long time."

He swallowed hard and closed his eyes. "Tifa… don't."

"Why not?"

"I don't want you to rush into something with me because you feel alone or obligated or whatever it is. I know I'm not going to be around for long, and I don't want you just to be with me out of pity." These words hurt him terribly.

She fell silent for a moment, and then just decided to say nothing. Tifa rested her head against his shoulder, and felt the tears return. She would just have to show him.

---------

Derek got to the lab at ten in the morning, as was his norm. He walked in and spotted Dr. Methius working on a cadaver, lying on an exam table. Reluctantly, he went forward, not eager to spend his day elbow deep in the entrails of Peirte's newest project. The young man only gave passing regard Sephiorth, who was leaning against the bars to his cage, watching the scientist's actions. "Good morning, Doctor."

"Oh, Derek." Peirte looked over his shoulder as he went over and picked up some sort of device from a nearby table. "We had a little excitement last night."

The assistant could see that the doctor had clearly been up all night, not that this in itself was unusual for Dr. Methius. "Did we?"

"Yes." He inspected the object in his hands for a few moments, before walking back over to the body. "ASRIO made an attempt to spring Sephiroth last night."

Derek's eyes went wide. Since he had no direct contact with his organization, he was always in the dark as to their plans. "Really?"

"They most certainly did." Peirte began to situate the item he'd been holding into the chest cavity of the body before him. "As you can see, they failed."

"Oh." Derek now wondered if Peirte would disclose the events to him. Asking point blank might bring suspicion upon him.

"Yes. We had a little shoot out. Toskin, I'm afraid, was killed." Peirte shook his head in dismay.

Cold Turk or not, Derek had liked the man in a way. He wasn't pleased with this news. "That's too bad. He was a good guy."

"Wonderful Turk, yes." Peirte turned around and picked up a pair of needle holders and some suture. "And they killed a few guards, but ASRIO lost some men as well."

Derek started to approach the scientist slowly, wondering which poor ASRIO agents were undoubtedly lying on the exam tables.

He pointed to the table next to the one he was working at. "Yes, over there is Spencer."

Not having personally known the man, Derek was able to go without any reaction. "Spencer, huh?"

"Yes, and get this." Peirte reached up and pulled back the edge of the surgical drape that was obscuring the face of the body he was working on. "Recognize this one?"

Derek immediately thought that the man in question looked an awful lot like Vincent Valentine, but he'd never met the man in person, and figured he could be mistaken. "He looks like someone…"

"Come on, say it!" Dr. Methius was giddy with excitement over his new prize possession.

"Vincent Valentine?" Derek certainly hoped that this wasn't the case.

"Very good." Peirte glanced over at his assistant and smiled. "They actually sent in Vincent Valentine. Luckily, thanks to the fact that all of Hojo's work upon him had been undone by ASRIO some time ago, we now find ourselves with a clean slate. Exciting, isn't it?"

Derek frowned as he looked at the dead man. "Sure, exciting."

"Go get some gloves on, I could use some help with this." Peirte motioned over toward the cabinet where they were kept. "Time's wasting."

Derek cringed inwardly. He hated nothing more than surgical assisting, especially on cold bodies like this one. The way their chilled flesh felt through those thin latex gloves was not something he relished.

---------

Feeling horrible, Tifa went back to her room to take a nap that afternoon. Cid had brought the cloak and gun into here earlier, placing them upon the upper shelf in the closet. Realizing that she needed to lock up the gun again, she pulled down its case and set it on the bed, before going back to the closet and retrieving the gun and cloak.

She held the gun for a moment, examining it. There were tell tale signs upon it that it had been fired at some point during the mission. He'd gone down fighting. Tifa dropped the clip from the weapon, seeing that it still had bullets in it. She examined the clip, seeing that it was the same one that Tseng had gotten engraved for Vincent's birthday seven years ago.

Deciding that reminiscing about this weapon was going to do no more than upset her, Tifa placed the Death Penalty back into the case and closed it. She had never bothered to ask Vincent what the combination to the box was, and it was locked away now, perhaps forever.

After getting the gun's case back upon the shelf where it belonged, Tifa went and sat on the edge of the bed and took the cloak back into her hands. She brought it to her face and inhaled deeply. Even though Vincent had only had it for a short while, his unmistakable scent had already permeated it-- his distinct mixed smell of tea, soap, and chocolate met her. Soon, even this last hint of him would fade, and so Tifa made it a point to burn it into her memory.

She moved to lie down upon her side of the bed, and threw the cloak over herself. As Tifa did this, she heard the distinct crinkle of paper. She sat up again and turned the cloak over, knowing that there was a pocket within it. After reaching into it, her fingers encountered a few things and she pulled the contents out and placed them on the bed next to her.

There were a few small mints, and two neatly folded pieces of paper. One was labeled with Tifa's name, the other with Cid's. She picked up the one with her name, and could feel that something was wrapped within it.

Carefully, she unfolded her note, and Vincent's wedding ring fell forth, landing in her lap. She picked it up and set it upon the nightstand for the moment, and read what he'd written in his meticulous handwriting.

_To My Wife,_

If you're reading this, then I suppose I didn't make it back from the mission. Most likely this means that I am dead, or possibly being held prisoner, but I think we both realize that I would, at this moment, prefer it to be the former.

Tifa, I'm sorry that I've hurt you. It's funny, I sit here writing this, thinking back to when I came to you seven years ago. I told you that I didn't think that Cloud was the man you'd hoped he would be, and that I could be that man. Turns out, I guess, that I was wrong. I was just as much a failure as he was to you. For that, I can only apologize.

I accept my share of the blame for what went wrong between us. Throughout it all, though, know that I never stopped loving you, Tifa. I'm sure that if I have died that you and Aaron were undoubtedly the last things I would have thought of. Tell Aaron that I love him, too.

The sad part is, I know who the man is that you should have been with, the one that you've actually been emotionally attached to from the outset. If I had just stayed away, you could have been with him long ago. For this, I also apologize.

Now I'm out of the picture, and the man that you really love is dying. God damn it, Tifa, I'm so sorry for everything. Maybe Cid only has a short time left on this Earth, but go ahead and be with him. It's better than never getting the chance at all, and I think it would make his final days bearable for him. He loves you, Tifa, just as much as I do, and I know how important he's always been to you.

I'm sorry that it had to end this way. If I'd been more of a man over the last few years, I never would have let things get this out of control, my greatest regret being that I'm only figuring it out now, and possibly before dying. I want nothing more at this moment than to get back home and into your arms, perhaps to be granted your forgiveness. Somehow, though, I guess I know that isn't going to happen, hence why I'm writing this.

Take care of yourself, Aaron, and the baby, whomever the father may be. I know I never wanted to take part in your discussions over what to name the new child, but if it's a girl, I've always liked the name Charlotte. I guess that's another thing I should have told you in person, but this is the best that I can do now.

I love you, Tifa. Never doubt that I do.

Vincent

Tears in her eyes, Tifa carefully folded the letter back up and set it down upon the nightstand, next to Vincent's wedding ring. This letter had broken her heart. She was tempted to read what he'd written for Cid, but she would respect this and not open it, merely placing it on what had been Vincent's pillow before lying back down and once more covering herself with the cloak.

Cid came in a little while later to check on her. He sat down carefully, not wanting to wake her. Seeing that she was covered with Vincent's cloak confirmed his suspicion that she still did love him.

The small white note placed upon Vincent's dark green pillowcase caught his eye. When he saw that his name was written upon it in Vincent's handwriting, he reached over and took it. Knowing that the sound of the paper rustling might wake up Tifa, he went ahead and left the room, walking out to the kitchen and sitting at the table. He unfolded it.

__

Cid,

Well, like I said in Tifa's note, if you're reading this then I didn't make it. Dying in action is what I always suspected would happen to me though, so I can't say that I'm surprised.

Look Cid, we've had our differences, but over the years, I've come to have a healthy respect for you. Emotionally, you've been one of the strongest people I've ever known, but even you weren't infallible, it would seem. I can't blame you for loving Tifa, hell, even I was able to fall in love with her. I know that the two of you were only together for those few moments, but really, on some level, you and she have been together in a way for ages. I would think that saying this would upset me, but the truth is that it doesn't. You've been there for her emotionally when I refused. You've probably kept her going. I don't know what I'm trying to say here, I'm terrible at this sort of thing. I feel like an idiot for writing this as it is.

What I really need to say here is that I'm glad that you can be there for Tifa, even if you are sick. Knowing that you can take care of her, at least for the immediate future, comforts me in a way. If I thought she had to get the news of me being dead and then spending those first few days alone, I would feel worse.

I let her down, Cid. I know that. All I can ask of you is to not make the same mistake I have, but then again, you're stronger than me, and a man who knows his heart and doesn't waver in his convictions… well, usually.

Be with her, take care of her, and my boy. Be there with her when that baby is born. Make sure that she's going to be all right, that is what I ask of you.

Cid, I wasn't just messing with you the other day. I do love you and I just hope that you, like Tifa, can forgive me for what I became over the years. You've been a good friend, despite certain things.

Whatever happens between you and Tifa from here, know that you have my consent. You'll recall the discussion that you and I had prior to my surgery all those years back. I still stand by those words. You're the only one that I would be willing to leave Tifa with. Love her, Cid, just never hurt her. She's been through enough of that.

Your Friend,

Vincent

Cid had to wipe the tears away from his eyes as he went to the guestroom and stuffed this note into his coat pocket. He wouldn't let Vincent down.

---------

Rude woke up, seeing that it was two in the afternoon. He'd more or less blown off going to work today. His hangover had been bad enough this morning to keep him in bed. Being the head of the Turks had its advantages. If he so opted not to show up to work every once in a while, no one would question him on it.

He reached over and grabbed the beer bottle that was sitting on his nightstand and took a drink from it. The contents of the bottle were flat and warm, but it was still beer.

That done, his eyes landed upon his cell phone lying on the floor next to his small bed. He reached down and picked it up, hitting a speed dial button, and settling back, waiting for someone to answer.

"What?"

Rude smiled in his faint way. "Reno, talk to me."

"Shit." Reno got up from the table in the restaurant he and his family were having a late lunch at and strolled outside. "Sorry 'bout that. Angel gets all pissy if I talk on the phone at the table."

Rude couldn't care less about the etiquette being imposed upon his best friend by his wife. "What happened?"

Reno leaned up against the side of the brick building. "We went in to get Jaras, but he was already injected. Waste of fucking time."

"I heard about Vincent." Rude closed his eyes as his head still ached.

"Yeah, Vinny…" Reno looked around, seeing that there wasn't anyone on the sidewalk near him. "They got Vinny."

"Sorry to hear that."

"Yeah, everyone's taking it pretty hard. And we lost Spencer, too." Reno frowned.

"That's Quigley's brother, right?" Rude asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yeah." Reno shrugged. "I don't know what to do. I mean, if Jaras is now Sephiroth again, I can't very well let that just go. ASRIO needs to do something, but I don't know…"

Rude wasn't used to hearing self doubt in his former comrade. "If I find out anything of use, I'll let you know."

"I know you will, you always do." Reno sighed heavily. "I feel like such a fucking fool, guy."

"It'll work out, Reno. At least you made it out alive."

"That's not all that comforting at the moment. I should probably get back to lunch. I'll… I'll call you later." Reno started back toward the restaurant's entrance. "Bye."

Rude simply hung up.

---------

Peirte stood above his work, seeing that things seemed to be operating as they should. The small pump's motor was turning, producing a low hum. If all went well, this would work.

He looked back to Sephiroth's cage, seeing that he was sitting upon his bed, admiring the sword he'd been given. "Is it to your liking?"

His green eyes turned up from the blade. "It will do."

"So, what is it that you can tell me that might sway the mind of Mr. Valentine?" Peirte asked, releasing the rib spreaders and getting to the task of closing up Vincent's chest. "Derek, bring me the wire cutters, would you?"

"He will want to go home, unless he is made to believe that there is nothing worth him going home to." Sephiroth looked at his reflection on the polished sword.

"And how do I go about that?" Peirte asked, as he began to weave surgical wire through Vincent's rib cage in order to close it back up.

Derek just assisted the doctor in silence, paying close attention to all that was being said. If this worked, if Vincent actually were revived, he would have to drop ASRIO as much information as possible.

Sephiroth smiled and set the blade down. "Dr. Methius, dismiss your assistant for a moment, would you?"

Peirte raised his eyebrows and looked at Derek. "Be so good as to step out for a moment, Derek."

Feeling his heart race, Derek did as ordered. He wondered if he was about to be ratted out, since he had told Jaras who he was. It seemed like Sephiroth had his memory intact.

"Now, what is it?" Peirte turned to his prisoner.

"Your assistant is an ASRIO plant," Sephiroth said.

"Really?" Peirte outright laughed. "Oh, that's good, that's very good. You had me there for a moment."

Immediately looking annoyed, Sephiroth stood up and came over to the cage bars. "I am not joking. How do you think ASRIO knew I was here? He told me he was a plant as soon as I got here."

Dr. Methius wasn't willing to just off handedly accept this. It wasn't beyond the realm of possibility, but Sephiroth could be manipulative. "I can have Derek tailed for a time to see if your claim is true."

Sephiroth shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest. Normal humans were unbearably stupid. They would believe the most ridiculous lies, and refuse to accept the truth. "In any event, you need to find a reason for Vincent not to want to go home."

"Yes, and that is?"

Although he had no idea of Tifa's infidelity with Cid, he had his suspicions. "His wife, Tifa, has a history of not necessarily being completely… steadfast in her commitment to him. If you could catch her in a compromising position with another man, it would drive Vincent mad."

He had Peirte's attention. "Oh?"

"Yes, you see seven years ago even though I, as Jaras, had just met her, I got her to kiss me despite the fact that she was with my father. She also left her previous husband for my father, so she isn't exactly one to stand by her man 'til the end of time, as it were." Sephiroth smiled, remembering what it was like to kiss her. "Not only that, but her best friend is a man, and over the years, I've noticed a certain chemistry between the two of them. Part of me suspects that upon hearing of Vincent's death, that she would climb right into bed with Cid."

"Perhaps having some cameras and bugs placed in her home are in order. Of course, we'd need to know where that house is." Dr. Methius became thoughtful.

Again, Sephiroth smiled. "I've been there."

"And I suppose that you would like something in exchange for that information as well?" Peirte pushed his glasses up with his bloodied hand.

"Of course." Sephiroth motioned down at his body. "Some decent clothes."

---------

Quigley had left Midgar upon receiving the news of his baby brother's death and had gone straight back to the ASRIO base. After throwing his things into his room there, he'd slogged off to the lab, needing to distract himself from his pain.

Upon entering the lab, he spotted Porter sitting before a computer terminal. He couldn't even muster a greeting for his old friend.

When he saw Quigley enter, Porter got up and made his way to the other man, seeing that his eyes were tired and bloodshot. Porter himself was at a loss for words, and just went forward and took him into his arms.

Ever since Quigley's little brother, six years his junior, had gotten out of the service, he'd been working for ASRIO. Although the researcher was excited to have his brother around and working close by, he had been nervous from the outset of Spencer getting hurt or killed on a mission. Having been in the Special Forces, Spencer had always been drawn to danger, not necessarily a trait that he shared with his brother.

Now, Quigley's worst nightmare had come to pass, and he was heartbroken. Being in Porter's arms, he couldn't help but break down. "Porter…my baby brother…"

Porter held him tighter. "I'm so sorry, Quig."

Ashamed of his blatant display, Quigley was reluctant to back out of Porter's embrace until he stopped sobbing like he was. "My only fucking brother… I feel so alone…"

Aware that Quigley had no other surviving family made Porter just feel that much worse. He brought the other man out to arm's length and placed his hands on the sides of Quigley's face, locking him into his gaze. "Quig, you're not alone, okay? As long as there is breath in my body, you'll never be alone. I know Rayna loves you, too."

Quigley managed a smile. "Thanks."

Porter let his hands fall away from him. "Okay, wanna get to work, then? I've gotten the new research our guys got out of the Nibelheim facility cracked."

"Sure thing, let's get to it." Quigley backed away and turned toward the computer.

---------

Night fell, dinner had been served, and now Cid and Tifa found themselves at the kitchen table, each working on a before bedtime cup of tea. They had gone into town that evening to pick up dinner and get some groceries. When they had gotten home from this, Tifa had noticed that the back door to the house had been left slightly ajar. She hadn't given much thought to it and had just closed and locked it. Tifa figured that one of the boys must have just not shut it all the way. This door had been a little tricky like that for the last few years. Vincent had always said that he was going to fix it, but never actually had. Maybe Cid would.

The boys had gone to bed, and an awkward silence had fallen over them as they both dwelled on the letters that they had read from Vincent earlier that day.

Cid eventually sat his cup down and crossed his arms over his chest. "Tifa, we need to talk about it."

She raised her eyebrows and looked at him. "Huh?"

"What did Vincent write in yours?" he asked, having seen the letter to her sitting on the nightstand.

"He apologized for what had happened to our marriage and that he knew he was going to die." Tifa looked down into her teacup.

"What else?" Cid asked, narrowing his eyes, aware that there had to have been more.

Tifa closed her eyes and sighed. "That he felt bad for having stood between you and I."

Cid cocked an eyebrow. "Oh…"

"And that I should make the most out of the time we have left." Tifa produced a faltering smile and looked up. "And yours? What did he say to you?"

Cid swallowed hard and shrugged. "That you and I were the ones that should have been together."

Tifa's eyes widened. She wouldn't have thought that Vincent would have said such a thing to Cid. "Really?"

"Yeah. Telling me that if…you know, that it was okay." Cid felt color come to his cheeks.

And there it was. They had the blessing of a dead man to begin a short lived, ill fated tryst that could only last the final few months of what had been a fourteen year long relationship.

Tifa hung her head, remembering how quickly she had been willing to sleep with Vincent after Cloud's death. Now here she was, about to do it again. As she had said earlier though, time was just not a luxury that she and Cid had. "He knew."

Cid nodded, after a brief coughing fit. "Yeah."

Tifa's heart was starting to race, and she felt her hands shaking. "So… now what?"

"We keep it behind closed doors and away from the boys." Cid didn't want to cause any more damage to their sons than had already been done. "They can't know, Tifa."

So even though they finally had the chance to be together, it would still have to be kept a secret. That was a secret Tifa felt she could keep. "Okay."

Cid slowly got up from his seat and went to put his cup in the sink. That done, he went back over to Tifa and held his hand out to her. "Come on."

Tifa took hold of him and rose from her seat, following as he led her to the bedroom. She now had a sweat on her skin, and her shaking had gotten worse. The strange thing was, holding onto Cid's hand as it was, she could feel that he was trembling, too.

Once inside, Cid locked the door and then went and sat on the edge of the bed. He stared over at Tifa as she hovered over by the dresser, looking scared. "Tifa, I'm not gonna do anything that you don't want me to. You don't have to be afraid of me."

She nodded and stepped closer to him and sat on the edge of the bed as well, placing her hands upon the sides of her stomach. The baby was being still again. "Cid…"

He slid to the floor and knelt before her, taking her face into his hands. His shaking had gotten worse. His blue eyes seemed to be looking right into her, searching for something. There was a certain desperation in his expression.

Tifa realized that he was looking for consent, and not the momentary and fleeting sort that she'd granted him seven and a half months ago. This was for keeps.

Not sure if she was committed to this or not, Cid couldn't keep from asking. "Tifa, you've got to tell me what you want."

She closed her eyes and admitted the truth, even though it shamed part of her deeply to do so. "I want…you, Cid."

He just continued to stare at her for a few moments, making sure that she wasn't going to waver in this decision. "And are you sure?"

Tifa opened her eyes again and looked back into his. "Yes."

Cid smiled faintly for a moment, feeling himself stir with arousal for the first time in ages. "If you change your mind, Tifa…"

"I won't do that to you again, Cid." She leaned forward until her lips met his.

The brief time they had been together before had not been anything that reflected Cid's style at all. That was a drunken and uncertain moment for him, but this now was different. Cid was a man that was accustomed to being in charge, whether it was flying an aircraft or making love. He guided his lovers with just as much certainly and care as he did anything that he was controlling. He knew what he liked, and his confidence in himself was unwavering. His hands trailed down her body for a moment, until they found the waist to the jeans that she'd put on. Being maternity jeans, they had no buttons or zippers, and he began to pull that them, until she lifted herself a small way so he could pull them off completely, taking her undergarments with them.

Even though her lower body was now exposed, Cid didn't look at her, just staring into her eyes as they faced each other. He was waiting for her to show him that she really did want to proceed.

Sensing the reason for his hesitation, Tifa reached down and unbuckled his belt, and then undid his khakis. She slipped her hand inside, beneath his boxers.

Cid closed his eyes at this first tentative touch. The fact that this was really going to happen almost hurt. When he opened his eyes again, he was wearing a smirk. "Tifa?"

After being with Cloud and then Vincent, Tifa wasn't accustomed to there being any talking after a sexual encounter had begun. "Yeah?"

His smirk widened. "Take off your shirt."

Her eyes went wide. Being pregnant had made her self-conscious about her body, her breasts in particular. Never had Vincent or Cloud blatantly made a request in such a way to her, and she blushed. "Uh…"

Cid cocked his head to the side. "Come on, we're a little past that, Tiff. Take it off."

Slowly, she did as asked and pulled off her tee shirt, leaving her in nothing more than her bra.

He couldn't resist looking at her body anymore and gazed down. Cid reached around her and unhooked her only remaining bit of clothing, then pulling it off her and tossing it to the side.

Tifa closed her eyes as his mouth met her chest feverishly. She still had her hand upon him, and felt his anticipation get worse. He wasn't making the slow, uncertain sort of movements that her previous two lovers had, this was entirely different.

Cid reached down and pushed his pants lower, freeing himself of them and then pulled off his own shirt. Once more he looked into her eyes. "Lay back and just try to relax, okay?"

Again, Tifa complied with this request. Being pregnant and so far along precluded her from actually being able to remain face to face with her partner close enough to kiss, was something that she didn't like. Once more she closed her eyes as he pushed her knees apart further and then touched her. She wished that the light were off, that's how it had usually been in the past for her. It wasn't, however, and even though she wasn't looking, she could feel Cid's eyes inspecting her. She felt one of his fingers slide into her and she gasped.

Cid wasn't familiar enough with her in this way and he needed to know. "Is that okay?"

This was all just so strange to her. "Yeah…"

"Good." Cid continued to prepare her for a few more minutes until he couldn't wait anymore. He slid his hands under her thighs, raising them slightly.

When she felt him drive into her, she again gasped and propped herself up on her elbows. Daring to open her eyes, she saw that he was looking right back at her, his eyes narrowed and the smirk still upon his lips.

"Still okay?" he asked, moving slowly.

Tifa just nodded back at him, and then closed her eyes once more. He was just so different than Vincent and Cloud, but not in a bad way at all.

After a few minutes, Cid knew that she was accustomed to him, and he stopped moving for a moment. "Tiff?"

Once more she looked at him, wondering what was on his mind now. "Yeah?"

The fact that she was so shy about the whole thing was just endearing her to him more. "I'm gonna do something, and I'm guessing that it's not something that either of the last two knew how to do. If it bothers you, let me know, okay?"

She had absolutely no worldly idea what he was up to. "Okay."

He flashed her a quick smile and then resituated himself so that he would be able to thrust into her at a slightly different angle. Cid had a trick.

Most women go through life hearing about the infamous G spot, but never actually experiencing anything to indicate that it does, in fact, exist. The vast majority of men in the world have no idea where it is, and needless to say few ever learn how to get to it. Cid was not most men.

When he thrust into her this time, it was deliberate and for a goal. Tifa's eyes went wide and she cried out, the intensity of what she felt as he did this beyond anything she'd experienced before. "Oh God, Cid…"

His smile returned. "Something new, huh?"

She looked up into his eyes. "Yeah…"

Pleased with her reaction, he kept at it, needing to remind her every few minutes to keep her cries quieted, lest the boys hear.

This new sensation was just more than she could bear and within five minutes, she was thrown over the edge, sitting up slightly as she did so, and placing her hands upon his hips to keep him in place.

As Tifa did this, Cid could feel her body react, and when he heard her whisper out his name one more time, he knew that he'd given her what she wanted. Now, it was his turn. "Tiff?"

She met his gaze again, her satisfaction obvious. "What?"

"I know it's probably not easy, being in your condition and all, but do you think you could cowgirl?" he asked point blank.

She had never been asked such a thing and had no idea what he meant. "Huh?"

"Tiff," he felt a little self-conscious having to spell it out, "you know, ride me."

Although she'd just experienced the most powerful climax of her life, Tifa was immediately aroused again to hear him say this. It might not be easy under the circumstances, but she would give him what he wanted. "Okay."

That devilish smile flashed once more, and he pulled away from her and then moved to lie down upon the bed.

Tifa got up and crawled over to Cid, giving him a kiss before straddling him. She placed her left hand upon his shoulder and used the other to guide him back into her, sighing deeply as she did so.

Cid wasted no time and began to move beneath her, seeking his own end. Her long hair fell down over him as he bucked under her, enshrouding him in a welcome darkness. Being with Tifa like this was all he had really wanted for so long, that now that it was happening, he didn't know what else he could possibly ask for. He let his hands run over her body as they went, and within minutes, he felt control slipping away, yet, he needed to know something. Breathlessly, he asked, "Tiff… can I… inside you?"

She threw her head back, and pressed down onto him with more force. There was nothing that she wanted more. "Yeah…"

That was the last thing he needed and he let go within her, growling as he did so, "God damn, Tifa…"

Feeling that he was done, Tifa carefully moved from him and landed at his side, draping an arm over his chest. "Cid?"

He turned his head and looked at her, an expression of deep relief upon his face. "What's on your mind?"

"That…that was amazing." Tifa had no idea that it could be that way. Vincent had been good and had never let her down, but this had been above and beyond.

With his ego thusly boosted, Cid rolled over onto his side and kissed her passionately. For the moment, he no longer cared if he only had a few months to live. Tifa was finally his. When their lips finally parted, he stared into her eyes. "Tifa?"

"Yes?"

He was finally going to be able to say it and have it mean to her what it did to him. "I love you."

She smiled. "I love you, too."

---------

Peirte Methius had now gone two days without sleep. This was no matter for him, as when he had work to be done, he could stay up much longer without losing his acuity. He had both of his would be Turks closed up from their surgeries, and had their bodies slowly warming. Once Spencer's body temperature was high enough, he'd attempt to restart his heart and take him off of the by pass machine. Vincent, on the other hand, was already on his own, since his heart, his _artificial_ heart, was already working.

Sephiroth looked on, glad that the bodies were no longer laid open. He wasn't a fan of watching surgery, but there was piteously little else to do for him as it was. "Just using them as Turks is a bit of a waste, don't you think?"

"What would you rather see them do?" Peirte turned and examined Sephiroth. Due to his disclosure of Vincent's residence's location, he'd been given some new clothes. He was now wearing a pair of black form fitting jeans, military boots, and a black dress shirt. He was an impressive physical specimen.

"Well, I should think that since ASRIO has infiltrated Shinra so completely, that it might be nice for Shinra to, shall we say, return the favor?" He flipped his hair over his shoulder.

Peirte liked the sound of that. "Ah, that would be very interesting now, wouldn't it? I would have to be assured of their loyalty first, but that shouldn't be too hard."

"And I think that it would be good for me to go with them."

The scientist smiled to himself and shook his head. "At this point, I think that you would just run away, Sephiroth."

"I would not." He narrowed his eyes.

"Well, maybe you wouldn't. You're not finished yet." Methius came over and leaned against the cage bars, not fearing Sephiroth in the least.

"I'm not finished?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No." Peirte smiled. "You've only had one injection. It will take at least six for you to begin to regain your more supernatural abilities. For now, you are not much more than a normal man."

Although he knew he hadn't felt the stirrings of his old powers yet, he had hoped that they would be something to just develop over time. To hear that he needed to be injected again just made him eager to get more Jenova. "Then inject me."

"Perhaps I will let you go with Mr. Valentine and Spencer here back to ASRIO, with the understanding that if you behave as you should, that I will give you more Jenova upon ASRIO's destruction and your return here." Peirte crossed his arms over his chest. He was aware that negotiating with Sephiroth could be done, if he believed that the pay off was worth while.

To Sephiroth, this _was _worth while. "Then we have a deal."

The scientist smiled. Toppling ASRIO and ending their incessant meddling in company affairs would prove to be…rewarding. "Wonderful. I will grant you something else in light of this… idea."

Sephiroth smiled and tossed a small piece of paper over toward where Peirte was standing. "I want those."

The scientist reached between the bars and retrieved the note. Upon it were written the titles of several books. "I think I can manage this."

Again, Sephiroth smiled. "And I need my glasses out of my pack that I had when I was abducted."

"Certainly." Peirte knew where that was and headed to his office.

---------

Derek had left the lab and gone homeward. He had no idea what had been said between Sephiroth and Dr. Methius when he had been excused, but the fact that he'd not been killed or shown any sign of distrust hinted to him that perhaps, he hadn't had his cover blown. Maybe Sephiroth still intended to seek his help.

He parked his car in it's usual spot, and once more, a small black object was nonchalantly dropped from his hand and kicked beneath the vehicle before he went to his apartment.

Within minutes, someone appeared out of the darkness and reached beneath the car, pulling forth the black plastic object. The man inspected it, seeing that it was little more than a film case. He opened it and pulled out the piece of paper within it.

_V .V. c S. S. R alv. D cvr m/b blwn. J, Seph, nos D I.D. Sspct hl infm Dr. M._

The Shinra spy smiled to himself, and put the message back into the case. It was exactly what ASRIO needed to be told, and now Derek's loyalties were on the table.He reached down and placed the drop back where he'd found it.

---------

Reno's phone rang in the middle of the night. This was no big deal for him, though. His sleep since Vincent's death had been restless to say the least, and the call came in at a time when he was sitting up in bed, wide-awake.

He answered. "What?"

"It's Amy," came the voice from the other end of the line.

Reno threw his legs over the edge of the bed and leaned forward. He was bracing himself, figuring that any news to come from Derek's handler at this point would be bad. "Let's have it."

"Derek made another drop tonight, Reno."

This was what he figured. "And?"

"I'm going to read it. 'Vincent Valentine and Spencer Sharday are alive. My cover may be blown. Jaras, now Sephiroth, knows who I am. I suspect he'll tell Dr. Methius'." She then pulled out her lighter and ignited the paper, having delivered the message.

Reno was absolutely silent and didn't dare move. It was as though his heart had even quit beating.

"Sir?" Amy asked, having expected some sort of reaction.

"Okay… uh, we'll have Derek picked up tomorrow night. I… I need to go." Reno flipped his phone closed and let it fall to the floor. He had seen Vincent die. There was no way that the wounds he had sustained couldn't have been fatal. Part of him wanted to believe the information he'd just been given and to turn right around and tell Angel and then call Tifa, but he wouldn't. Until Vincent Valentine was standing in front of him, alive and in the flesh, he wouldn't say a word. Having his wife and Tifa mourn Vincent once was bad enough, but if he gave them this news and then it proved wrong, he couldn't force them to mourn him twice. For now, they were better off not hearing this.

Angel rolled over and faced him. "Who was that?"

"Nobody," Reno sighed. He hated lying to her. "I just need to have Derek taken out of Junon, that's all."

She could tell that something was amiss. "Reno?"

He got back beneath the sheets and put his arms around her. "It's nothing, babe. Go to sleep."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

_There's not supposed to be any pain in the Lifestream…why does it hurt so much? _Vincent wondered, as the darkness that had enveloped him for an unknown amount of time began to fade._ Why am I so cold?_

A second voice within him spoke up, one that he hadn't heard much over the last seven years, but one that had never been completely silenced. _Because you're not in the Lifestream._

I have to be. Vincent saw the memory of his death flash through him. _I was shot five times in the heart. I died…_

The other voice replied, _You did die, but you're not dead now. I felt your soul leave this body, abandoning me, but you've returned, Vincent. You are _not _dead._

If I died, then why didn't you leave this body, too? Vincent asked inwardly, confused and disoriented.

_I have no soul, Vincent. Only this consciousness is left of me. That damned drug they gave you seven years ago may have taken my body, but it didn't take away my consciousness. You know that. You know that I've still been here all along. That's why you drink. You do it to try and silence what I tell you._

Vincent had tried to deny this truth all along, but during that morning encounter with Tifa before he'd left, it had been this voice that had egged him on to be so rough. It hadn't been him at all, it had been the other within him, despite his denial at the time. _Leave me be._

I can't. I am _you, _the voice growled back. _Your seizures, you know what they really are, Vincent._

He didn't want to hear this._ Shut up!_

I will not. Those seizures are me attempting again and again in times of emotional upset to try and come out. Without a way to manifest myself though, your mind just short circuits. If I had a way to come out, you wouldn't have those seizures anymore. The voice almost sounded mournful. _If we could find a way--_

_I'd rather die than have you take me over and change my body ever again, Chaos._

The demon almost seemed to laugh, _Dying is nothing new for you, old friend. Wake up, see what's going on._

Vincent felt agony with each breath he took. _But I'm breathing…_

His ears picked up a sound. It was a low hum, but it wasn't so much that he was hearing it coming from the atmosphere around him, rather, it seemed to be coming from within him.

With more effort than he would have ever imagined it would take, he forced his eyes open, realizing that he was staring up into a florescent light fixture. He wasn't capable of moving his body in the least. He was tied down and his entire body was wracked with unimaginable pain.

He heard a moan come from his left, and he let his head fall to the side. His eyes met Spencer's. The other man was lying naked on another table just a short distance away. The agent's complexion was ghastly, and his expression betrayed the fact that he was in just as much pain as Vincent. Vincent actually managed to lift his head for a brief moment to inspect him.

There on Spencer's body, was an incision line that ran down from below his breastbone to his groin. It was a brutal and jagged looking surgical site, and the holes that had been made by the shower of bullets into the young man's abdomen were obvious as swollen, bruised marks. Seeing his companion in this state made Vincent fear looking at himself.

Yet, Vincent had to know. He turned his head back to center and then lifted it until he could see his own body. Like Spencer, he was unclothed and strapped to a table. The source of his pain was immediately obvious. An enormous 'Y' shaped incision marred his fair skin. It started toward his shoulders, running at an angle under his collarbones, until those two lines joined in the center of his chest, then running straight down until just past his sternum. It was being held shut with countless surgical staples, and his own bullet holes were visible like Spencer's-- all five of them.

He let his head fall back to the table, no longer wishing or capable of looking at himself. Not knowing what else to do, he looked back over at Spencer again. He wanted to say something, but his throat was so dry that he couldn't manage.

Spencer's arms were strapped down at his side, but he made the piteous gesture of moving his wrist, seemingly trying to reach Vincent somehow. There was a fear in the blonde's eyes, a fear that reflected what Vincent himself felt.

Spencer tried to speak, desperate for anything to end his pain. "Help me."

Vincent wished he could, but there was nothing he could do. He wasn't even sure where they were at the moment, or why.

Peirte, who'd had his back turned from the scene, heard Spencer's first words and was snapped out of the daydream he'd slipped into while doing nothing more than watching Sephiroth sit reading.

He walked over between the tables that possessed the two men. Peirte reached out and touched Vincent's chest, causing him to cry out.

The scientist was pleased. "Mr. Valentine, welcome back to the Earthly fold."

Vincent recognized him as the man that had ordered his execution. He wanted nothing more than for this man to get his hand off of him, as the pressure Peirte was applying was making his misery worse. "Stop…"

"It hurts terribly, I would imagine, yes?" Peirte asked, switching his gaze between the two men.

Spencer again begged, "Help me…"

"All right, I can give you something for the pain. It's not that I wished the two of you to suffer, it's just that allowing you to feel the pain made you regain consciousness quicker. Just a moment." Dr. Methius disappeared out of their respective lines of sight for a few minutes, returning with two loaded syringes in his lab coat pocket. He grabbed the I.V. line that was going into Vincent first, and injected something, before turning to Spencer and doing the same.

As the two men felt the almost instant relief wash over them, they both closed their eyes, thankful for this reprieve.

Peirte grinned in satisfaction, but he had work to do now that they were awake. Mr. Valentine was the more important of the two men to him, and it was Vincent that he turned to first. "I'm going to untie you now. You are very weak still, your body has been shut down for a very long time. Any attempt to fight or flee for the time being will result in failure. Do you understand?"

Vincent's mind was so clouded and confused that he just agreed by nodding slightly.

"Very good." Methius got to the task of unstrapping his specimen from the table. He reached down and helped Vincent sit up.

Thanks to the painkiller he had been given, Vincent was able to do this without causing himself too much misery. He looked around the room, realizing that he was in the lab, and that Sephiroth was still in the cell a short way off, sitting upon his bed reading.

When he felt his father's eyes upon him, Sephiroth lowered his book for a second and pulled off his reading glasses. He inspected Vincent for a brief moment, then flashing him a small smile before getting back to his book.

Vincent just couldn't get his mind on track for some reason. It was as though he wasn't situated into his body quite right. He hated the way he felt.

Peirte reached over and unhooked the line going into Vincent's arm, but leaving the intravenous catheter placed so he could give his specimen more drugs as needed. "There, now, just a moment."

Vincent sat with a blank look on his face as Peirte stepped away again for a moment. The scientist then returned with a white jumpsuit in his hands. With considerable assistance from Peirte, Vincent got the garment on, mercifully ending his unclothed state. He was now standing beside the table he'd been affixed to, leaning heavily upon Dr. Methius for support.

Peirte began to lead him slowly toward his office. Once there, he helped Vincent to sit in his chair before the computer terminal at his desk. "Are you comfortable?"

Vincent just nodded, not knowing why he couldn't muster the strength or will to fight.

"Good. I want you to know that you were in fact dead, Mr. Valentine. I have brought you back for a reason," Peirte said gently, smiling.

Why this man would bring him back after ordering his execution in the first place was beyond his comprehension.

"I can help you, Mr. Valentine, if you help me."

Vincent narrowed his eyes, knowing that helping anyone in Shinra with anything was not acceptable. "I want…"

"You want what?" Peirte finished for him. "To go home? Is that what you wish?"

Again, Vincent just nodded.

"Well, Mr. Valentine, I'm afraid that there is nothing for you to go home to." Peirte reached over and hit a few keys on his computer, opening some sort of media program. "Your wife found out that you were dead less than twenty-four hours before we filmed this, Mr. Valentine."

Vincent's eyes went wide as an image of his bedroom came up on the screen. From the angle of the shot, he knew that the camera that had been planted in his home was in the heater vent, directly over the bed. "Home…"

"Yes, and just look what your wife did." Peirte reached over and hit something, letting the recording from the spy cam begin playing.

Vincent stared on as the door to his room opened, and Tifa and Cid entered. Cid went and sat on the edge of the bed, Tifa coming to sit at his side a moment later. Vincent felt himself beginning to shake.

Peirte saw that Vincent was starting to have a reaction, even though nothing particularly damning had played yet. "It gets better, Mr. Valentine."

Vincent then watched as Cid got off of the bed and knelt before Tifa, reaching out and touching her face. He wished he could hear what they were saying. "What is she telling him?"

"Oh, sorry," Peirte laughed, reaching over and hitting another key, turning on the audio.

Vincent listened as Tifa said she wanted Cid, before they kissed. His hands gripped the arms of the chair he was sitting in, and he felt his stomach turn. When he saw Cid remove Tifa's jeans, he looked away from the screen, being hit with dry heaves.

Peirte shook his head and got the small wastebasket from beside his desk and placed it where it would be needed if Vincent were to actually produce something.

"Take off your shirt," Cid's voice could be heard saying.

Vincent gathered himself and glared back at the screen again. In silence and without moving, he proceeded to watch the next twenty-seven minutes of video. The only thing to announce the fact that he was actually alive were his shallow breaths and his occasional blinks that drove tears down his cheeks.

He knew that he'd given his consent for them to do this in the letters that he'd written, but that had been in the event of his death-- and he wasn't dead.

Chaos couldn't miss a chance as Vincent watched his wife seemingly fuck Cid with abandon, obeying his every request, responding to his every move. _Less than a day after she got word of your death, Vincent. Just remember that. At least after Cloud's death she waited two days, and then, it was just to jerk you off. I guess she was a lot more eager to be with Cid, huh? She looks like she's enjoying herself, too. Listen to her…she's crying out his name, for God's sakes._

Vincent tried to silence his mind, but it was no use.

The demon within him went on. _Did you hear that? He just asked her to ride him! Can you believe it? And look…she's actually going to do it! Vincent, when was the last time she did that to you?_

He didn't want to see anymore, but he was paralyzed in his anguish and couldn't look away. When he heard Cid ask permission to come inside her, it was more than he could bear and he finally looked away, feeling another wave of nausea.

"That…that was amazing," Tifa could be heard saying.

Peirte had to fight the urge to laugh. This was just proving to be too easy. "Wait now, there's just one more little thing."

Vincent reluctantly brought his eyes back to the screen, seeing Tifa and Cid now just lying side by side upon the bed.

"I love you," Cid said to Vincent's wife.

He could see Tifa actually smile. "I love you, too."

Peirte turned off the computer and crossed his arms over his chest. "So, what do you think about that?"

Vincent slowly stood up, his body shaking violently as he did so. He placed a hand upon his chest. There was a horrible pain within, but it had nothing to do with his surgery. Tears still streamed down his cheeks, and despite his attempt to stop himself, he blurted out, "She's broken my fucking heart…"

"That's not possible, Vincent." Peirte reached out and placed his hand upon Vincent's shoulder. "You don't _have_ a heart to break. The only thing in your chest now is an over glorified mechanical pump. What you're feeling is all in your head, Mr. Valentine, which is fortunate."

Vincent scowled and met the scientist's gaze. "How is any of this fortunate?"  
"I can stop the pain you're feeling." Peirte lowered his voice. "I can stop it and you need not ever, _ever_ feel it or anything else again."

Madman or not, wrong side or good, in his present state, with no remaining sense of judgement, Vincent found this to be an offer he just couldn't refuse. "Then make it stop."

Peirte almost squealed in joy to hear this. He pulled another syringe from his pocket. "Hold out your arm and push up your sleeve."

Vincent did as asked, exposing the I.V. catheter that was still taped into his arm. He closed his eyes, no longer caring what was done to him.

Dr. Methius drove the needle into the catheter's port and injected the drug into Vincent's vein. "Now, sit down for a moment."

Feeling his world spinning immediately, Vincent fell back into the chair he'd been occupying. The drug was having an effect. All of the misery, all of the pain, depression, and heartache began to fade. Vincent found that his mind went eerily quiet, save that one voice that would never leave him.

"How do you feel?" Peirte asked, seeing that Vincent appeared to be relaxing.

Vincent opened his cold, emotionless eyes. "I don't."

Peirte grinned. The drug that he'd given Vincent not only would wipe the emotions out of the former Turk, but it was also unbelievably addictive. This first dose was all it would take to get Vincent hooked. Dr. Methius had him completely and totally at his beckon call.

---------

Tifa was having a nightmare. In it, she was again making love to Cid, but throughout the whole thing, Vincent was standing in the corner, watching with tears in his eyes. Even though he was there and watching, she refused to stop what she and the pilot were doing.

As she and Cid finished, Vincent narrowed his eyes at them and growled, "She's broken my fucking heart…"

Tifa sat bolt upright in bed, clutching her hands over her chest. She was alone in her bed, as Cid had gone back to the guestroom after their encounter, not wanting the boys to be any wiser as to what he and Tifa had done.

She saw that the morning light was doing its best to get through the heavy curtains and she looked at the clock. It was seven-fifteen. Cid would be up.

Tifa slid out of bed and threw a robe around herself before opening her bedroom door and making her way down the hall. She found Cid sitting at the kitchen table, a cup of coffee in his hands. "Cid?"

He could see that something was terribly wrong with her. "Tifa? Are you all right?"

She shook her head and leaned onto the table. "Cid… Vincent's not dead! We've made a terrible mistake!"

Knowing that she must have just awoken from a nightmare, he got up and went over to her, taking her into his arms. "Tifa, you just had a dream, that's all."

"No, it was more than a dream, Cid!" She pushed herself away from him. "He saw us, Cid. He watched the whole thing!"

He put his hands on her shoulders. "Tifa, get a fucking grip! He's dead, okay? Reno _saw_ him die! You _felt_ him die, for God's sake…"

"And this morning I felt that he was alive again, Cid." She knew she wasn't crazy.

The fact that Tifa seemed to have some sort of intangible link to Vincent had been shown the other night when she'd known of his death before Reno had arrived. The possibility that somehow, somewhere, Vincent could be back was just not something that the pilot could accept, though. "Damn it, Tifa, calm down! It was a nightmare."

She felt dizzy and moved to sit in her chair at the table. Cid was most likely right and she knew it, but still, that dream had felt real. Tifa hung her head and cried, the guilt of falling into Cid's arms so quickly cutting right through her. "What have I done?"

Cid huffed and knelt beside her, taking her face in his hands. "You did what your heart told you to do…" He let his words trail off. Maybe it hadn't been her heart that had driven her to it. Perhaps Tifa had given in to him out of pity. Suddenly, Cid moved back and got into his chair, the color draining from his face.

Tifa saw his reaction and stared at him. "Cid?"

"Why were you willing to be with me last night, Tiff?" he asked, not looking at her.

"Because I love you, Cid."

"It wasn't just pity?" His blue eyes narrowed as he gazed down into his cup.

Tifa shook her head. "Of course not! Cid, I don't sleep with men that I don't love…" She was struck by this. Tifa had gone through this same conversation with Vincent after their first encounter. She fell silent.

Cid was also at a loss for words. He picked his cup back up and took a sip from it. They had been together for less than twelve hours and it was already getting dramatic. _Looks like you're getting some weird fucking form of revenge, Sunshine, _he thought to himself.

---------

After Vincent's injection and subsequent relief from his misery, Dr. Methius had taken him over to Sephiroth's cage, intending to put him inside with his son.

Vincent stood there as the cage door was locked behind him. He stared at Sephiroth.

Finally done with the current page of his book, Sephiroth dog-eared it and then set it at his side, pulling off his glasses and placing them with the book. He gazed over at his father, looking thoughtful. "How was death?"

Vincent just stared back at him blankly.

"Come over here," Sephiroth requested.

After hesitating for a moment, Vincent complied and walked over to Sephiroth's bed and sat beside his son. He met his eldest child's gaze and couldn't help but ask, "Are you all right?"

Sephiroth motioned at himself. "Better now than I have been in a long time."

"Good." Vincent held no grudge for the fact that his son had pulled a knife on him the other day. "Where I shot you…is it all right?"

"Yes."

Vincent just nodded slightly, accepting this answer.

"Dr. Methius is going to let us out of the lab." Sephiroth watched his father for any possible reaction.

There wasn't much of one. "Let us out?"

"To go back to ASRIO." Sephiroth had agreed to test these waters with Vincent for the doctor.

"For what purpose?" Vincent asked.

"To infiltrate and undermine." Sephiroth smiled.

Vincent nodded. If this was what Peirte wanted him to do, then that was what he would do. To keep Peirte happy and thus keep himself availed of the drug he'd been given was his only priority. He didn't care about anyone anymore, he just cared about staying emotionless and getting his next fix. "So be it."

Sephiroth's smile widened. Having his father at his side in their actions would be wonderful. He knew that they could make a very effective and deadly team. "Spencer will be sent with us as well."

Logically, Vincent knew that this was wrong, but there just wasn't any will within him to argue. "Spencer…"

He couldn't help but ask, "You have no compulsion to go home, do you Vincent?"

He knit his brow for a moment, but then shook his head. "There's no reason. Tifa is with Cid now, and I just don't care anymore. What about you? You're different now, but is there still anything within you for Jeanine?"

Not thrilled at how this had just been turned back onto him, Sephiroth frowned and looked away. He was going to lie. "Nothing."

"I see." Vincent stared down at his hands.

Inside of him, Chaos reveled in this return to a cold, emotionless existence. It would make it far easier to control Vincent. He was now the only entity within Vincent to have any feelings, and those didn't contain any urges to do good.

---------

Derek arrived at work at the usual time. When he walked into the lab, he spotted Vincent sitting next to Sephiroth in the cage. He stopped in the center of the room.

Peirte came out of his office when he heard his young assistant arrive. "Derek?"

He turned, motioning over at the two men sitting together. "Is that… safe?"

"Father and son together?" Peirte walked over to the side of the cage. "What could be dangerous about that?"

The assistant watched as Dr. Methius continued toward the cage and pulled a key ring from his pocket. "What are you doing?"

"I think you'll be surprised," Peirte said, as he slipped a key into the lock on the cage.

Derek had a compulsion to run, but found himself frozen in place.

Vincent and Sephiroth both got up from the bed and stepped out.

Peirte turned back and faced Derek. He nodded, but seemed to be looking past him.

Derek moved to see if there was someone behind him, but before he could react, Spencer stepped up behind him and placed him in a headlock.

"Go have him sit down," Peirte ordered, pointing to a chair sitting in the middle of the room.

Spencer was considerably stronger than Derek, and easily pulled him over to the chair, forcing him to sit. He placed his hands firmly upon Derek's shoulders, keeping him in place.

Peirte came over to him. "Sephiroth informed me that you are an ASRIO agent."

"But I…" Derek knew his number was up.

"I had you tailed the other day, and you were seen making a drop." Peirte shook his head. "I really liked you, Derek. This is a sad day for me."

Derek felt a cold sweat break across his skin.

This was Peirte's chance to test Vincent. He turned to where Sephiroth and his father were still standing. "Mr. Valentine, would you come here for a moment?"

Vincent came over as ordered.

Peirte reached beneath his lab coat and produced the 9mm he kept in his shoulder holster. He smiled and then handed it to Vincent. "You may have this."

Slowly, Vincent reached out and took the gun. He examined it for a moment, immediately seeing that it was in desperate need of a good cleaning. Obviously, the doctor knew little about proper firearm maintenance.

"Kill him," Peirte said, his voice just as flat and cold as it had been when he had ordered Toskin to shoot Vincent.

Vincent walked closer to Derek, and placed the muzzle of the gun in the center of the assistant's forehead. He wasn't eager to kill the young man, but Chaos was almost orgasmic with the thought. _Let's kill him, Vincent. Pull the trigger!_

Spencer, not wishing to get hit by the bullet, let go of Derek and stepped to the side.

Derek's whole body was shaking, and tears came to his eyes. He begged for his life. "Please, don't kill me! Mr. Valentine…how can you do this? You're with ASRIO!"

Vincent cocked an eyebrow. "I'm with no one."

The gun's report rang through the lab, momentarily disrupting the quiet that had settled over the scene.

Vincent let his hand holding the gun fall back to his side. Inside of him, Chaos howled with pleasure. _You're a killer, Vincent. You haven't forgotten!_

Derek's body remained upright for a moment, and then he slumped forward and tumbled to the floor. Blood began to pool beneath his head from both the entry and exit wounds.

Vincent brought his left hand up to his face and wiped his cheek. He had been hit there with a small amount of blood upon shooting the ASRIO plant.

Peirte put his hand upon Vincent's shoulder, his smile returning. "Very good, Mr. Valentine, very good."

---------

The spy that had followed Derek and read his drop the night before took the ASRIO agent's car from the Shinra building's parking lot and drove it to the apartment complex. He parked it where Derek had, and quickly placed a small black cylinder beneath the vehicle before disappearing into the night.

---------

Reno once more had his phone go off in the middle of the night. Annoyed, he rolled his eyes and then picked it up from the nightstand. "What?"

"It's Amy, Sir."

"Derek was supposed to get picked up tonight, Amy." Reno ran a hand through his disheveled hair.

"I know, but he wasn't at home. I got another drop from him, though. His car was there, but when we went to his apartment, there was no answer." She looked down at the small note in her hands.

"What?" Reno frowned. Rarely had an agent in danger of having their cover blown not been at home for a pick up. "Fuck… Well, what's the drop say?"

"Vincent and Spencer will be breaking out of the lab tomorrow night, taking Jaras with them. They need to be picked up on the street. The plan is to be out by midnight." Amy, as usual, then lit the note on fire.

Reno got right out of bed and stood up. "Wait, they have a plan to get out?"

"That's what it says, Reno."

They had to be alive if they were plotting an escape. Yet, Jaras hadn't been himself at the time of the mission, so how they were going to bring him along safely was beyond him. He figured he would just have to trust Vincent's judgement on this one. After all, Vincent had made a solemn vow not to leave the lab without his son. "All right, I'll have the chopper standing by, just in case they pull this one off."

"All right. I'm going to stake out Derek's apartment for the rest of the night and see if he turns up. Maybe he's going to help them with the escape," Amy speculated.

Reno shrugged. "I don't know, maybe. Thanks, Amy."

"Bye."

---------

Vincent was sitting at a table within the lab, not restrained in any way. In the back of his mind was some sort of urge to flee. Peirte hadn't bothered to reclaim his gun from Vincent, and it was just lying on the table before him. Yet despite the fact that he was armed and that the building seemed relatively quiet for the moment, Vincent just had a complete lack of a desire to run. His emotions were gone-- as Peirte had told Sephiroth, Vincent's recent stint at death and then consequent drug exposure had left him soulless.

Spencer, under the same chemical influence as Vincent sat across from the former Turk, his eyes vacant as he just stared off into space.

Sephiroth sat to the right of his father, a book in his hands, reading. Maybe he wasn't Jaras anymore, but there were certain habits that he'd gained over the last fourteen years that he just couldn't let go of. Books had been something Hojo had denied him while growing up, and continuing to read them, even though within the confines of the lab, was for him some small sign of rebellion.

Vincent's blank expression was broken, when he felt a twinge of something within. He leaned forward slightly in his seat, placing his hand on his chest. Vincent figured that it had been several hours since he'd had his last dose of pain medication, and he wondered how bad it would still hurt if he didn't get anymore. After about half an hour had passed, Vincent reached out and placed his hands upon the table, feeling like the room was starting to spin.

Sephiroth saw this movement out of the corner of his eye, and spoke without lowering his book. "Are you having trouble?"

Vincent opened his mouth to respond, but then closed it again when the pain returned, this time worse. He moved from his chair and collapsed to the floor, coming to rest on his hands and knees. It wasn't the pain that he'd felt from the surgery before-- it was like an all-encompassing sickness. His breaths came in short gasps, and he began sweating profusely. The nausea that he'd felt while watching the video of his wife and the pilot returned, this time far worse. Vincent began to have bouts of dry heaves that made his incision from his surgery ache terribly.

Sephiroth lowered his book and cocked an eyebrow. "Dr. Methius? I think there's a problem."

Peirte turned from whatever he was working upon and came over, seeing Vincent hovering on the ground on all fours. "Mr. Valentine?"

Vincent managed to look up at him.

The scientist saw that Vincent's eyes were bloodshot, and that his complexion was ashen. Peirte knew exactly what was wrong. "Just a moment."

Vincent lowered his head again, and allowed himself to fall to his side, lying on the floor. Tears burned in his eyes as his emotions started flooding back in, intensified in his withdrawal. The misery he felt physically forced him to close his eyes, but the second he did this, all he could see was Tifa and Cid. An involuntary cry escaped him.

Thoroughly annoyed and completely distracted from his book now, Sephiroth tossed his novel onto the table and pulled off his reading glasses. He looked over to where Peirte was slowly drawing up some blue liquid into a syringe. "If you could be a little quicker about that, Doctor."

Methius laughed to himself as he tapped the side of the syringe to rid it of a bubble. "Patience, Sephiroth."

Although he wasn't going to make any outward gesture to show it, Sephiroth wasn't just wanting Vincent's misery to end to make him quiet, but somewhere, deep within him, he _was_ actually concerned.

Peirte was intentionally taking his time, wanting Vincent to realize exactly what a ferium withdrawal felt like. Although the drug could completely alleviate emotional pain after injection, what the user was subjected to upon withdrawal was entirely inhumane. Those who got hooked on it usually ended their own lives within hours if unable to get their next fix once the symptoms set in. He knelt at Vincent's side and pushed back the sleeve covering the arm that still had the catheter in it. Within a few seconds, he had given the injection and he stood up, watching Vincent's reaction.

Within moments of being given the shot, Vincent began to again feel the drug wash over him-- his emotions once more went silent, and all of his physical pain faded. Panting to catch his breath, he managed to get back up into his chair, dragging his sleeve over his face, wiping it dry. He met the doctor's gaze. "What just happened?"

"It's the price of emotional peace, I'm afraid." Peirte tossed the used syringe over into a sharps container and then sat upon the edge of the table that the three others were sitting. "When you feel the beginnings of withdrawals, you need to get another dose. You have no idea how bad the pain can get, and you don't want to."

So that was it. Vincent, after just that first dose, was as hooked as any junkie could be. "What is it?"

"Ferium, the blue dragon, if you will." Peirte smiled.

Vincent knit his brow for a moment. Ferium. He knew what that was. It was another in the ever-growing list of illicit drugs being abused in the world. Lovingly touted as the new opium of the age, ferium had come into popularity amongst drug users about four years earlier. It's immediate delivery from emotional pain had made it spread like wildfire. People would do anything to escape the miseries of their lives, and ferium was the one drug that could offer that. But it was addictive-- very much so, making it sought after by violent means on the street. The number of lives that it had destroyed was incalculable. Although it was the only thing keeping Vincent from killing himself at the moment, ultimately, he was aware of the fate its users faced. Had he possessed any feeling, he would have gotten angry at Peirte for getting him onto this drug, but there was no anger within him. All he knew was that going through that pain again was not something that he wanted. "You will give me more when I need it?"

Dr. Methius nodded at him. "Absolutely. Are you capable of giving yourself injections, Mr. Valentine?"

Having spent his teenage years in Midgar after his parents had died, Vincent had been exposed to drugs before. There had been a short time in high school when he'd dared to toy with heroin, seeking its momentary distraction from his horrible life. Shooting up was a skill that he'd gained during those years, although he'd escaped true addiction to that particular drug. He gave his answer. "Yes, I can."

"Good." Peirte got up and walked over to a cabinet. He returned a few moments later with a small black case. "Here's something for you."

Vincent reached out and took it, setting it upon the table before opening the case. Inside, there was a glass syringe, several needles, and a vial of the infamous blue liquid.

Peirte smiled again. "That is yours. There is enough in that vial to keep you feeling good for three weeks, Mr. Valentine. I will be providing Spencer with the same thing. Now, in return for that, I have a very special request for you."

Vincent looked up and met the man's gaze. "That is?"

"I'm sending the lot of you back to ASRIO. I believe that Sephiroth broached the subject with you earlier, yes?" Peirte cocked his head to the side.

"Yes."

"Good, then pay attention." He got up and began to pace back and forth before the table. "What I need you to do is simple. You are very close to ASRIO's leader, Mr. Valentine. Exploit this and get me the names of everyone involved in that organization. It's high time that Shinra found out the identities of all of the ASRIO plants so that we can… clean house as it were. Once we have that list in our possession, SOLDIER will be given a manifesto of those individuals and everyone that has ever had anything to do with ASRIO can be assassinated. After that, we will raid the ASRIO base, destroy it, and that will be, as they say, that. Have you any objections?"

Vincent sat silent for a moment. With his own sense of right and wrong shut down courtesy of the ferium, the only inner voice within him spoke up. _Oh Vincent, this is wonderful! It will be like a return to the old days… Living under the guise of being on ASRIO's side, all the while selling them out to Shinra. You have good memories of your life as a Turk, Vincent. You can't deny that. Going back to the days of working for Shinra is something that you've longed for from time to time. Now is that time, Vincent. Tell him what you want to do._

"Well, Mr. Valentine?" Peirte was growing impatient.

A ghost of a smile passed Vincent's lips. "I'll do it."

"Good." Peirte was thrilled. "Now, don't get any illusions of not coming back when the time comes. The ferium available on the streets is garbage compared to what I've given you, if you can even find it. What you have there is pure, you only need to take a quarter milliliter per dose. Be careful not to overdose, and get back here before your vial is empty, or you will regret it. Sephiroth will go back with you to ASRIO. All three of you need to put on a good show to make them believe that you are as you were when you left."

Vincent narrowed his eyes. "How do we go about getting back to ASRIO?"

"Derek's handler was given a bogus drop last night, saying that you three intended to escape from the lab this evening, and that you will need to be picked up come midnight. All you need do is walk out of here at that time and wait out on the street. Your friends will undoubtedly be along to collect you shortly thereafter." Dr. Methius couldn't have been happier over how this was all shaping up.

Vincent turned his eyes to his son, seeing that Sephiroth had a faint smile of his own. "They know that you're not the same."

Sephiroth cocked an eyebrow. "Easily explained. We tell them that I was injected with Jenova, but there is still just too much Mako in my body from my immersion in the Lifestream, and all of that which was put into me has died off. Hence, I'm good old Jaras once more."

---------

Reno walked out to the hanger the following morning. He needed to talk to Brad. What he had in mind he didn't want anyone, especially Angel, to know about. He found the pilot with the chopper outside the hanger doors. Brad was up on a ladder, doing his best to wash the aged helicopter from his perch.

The ASRIO leader got up beside the ladder and looked up at his comrade. "Brad?"

He gazed down at Reno, apparently annoyed at being interrupted. "Yeah? What can I do for you?"

"Come down here for a sec," Reno requested.

The older man huffed and then came down. He crossed his arms over his chest. "Okay."

Reno dropped his gaze to the ground. "Will she be up for another trip to Junon tonight?"

Brad raised his eyebrows. "Sure, but why are we goin' back?"

"Brad, I need you to keep a secret." Reno stepped closer to him.

"Sure thing."

"We've gotten a few drops from Derek," Reno said quietly, scanning the scene to make sure that they were alone. "He's told us that Vincent and Spencer… aren't dead."

Brad remembered Reno's loss of composure after getting into the chopper the other night, and couldn't believe that Reno could have been wrong about the fate of two of his men. "What? Reno, from what you've told me you saw, there's no way that Vincent could be alive…maybe Spencer, but Vincent?"

"Well, that's why I don't want anyone knowing for now." He shrugged. "The last drop said that Vincent, Spencer, and Jaras are gonna break out of the lab tonight. If that's the case, we need to be there to pick them up. So, you and I are taking off at sunset, and we're just gonna hang out in Junon, just in case."

"Part of you doesn't believe it, right?" Brad asked, already knowing the answer.

"Look, in the event this all proves to be some sort of fuckin' joke, I don't want Angel getting her hopes up that her daddy might still be kicking. If they get out of the lab and we bring them back here, then I'll believe it." Reno met his stare briefly. "I can't make her suffer through the nightmare of losing him twice, Brad."

The pilot nodded knowingly. "Who else is going?"

"Just us, Brad. We're not going in there or putting ourselves in danger. I'm not leading my men into what could be just some weird trap. So, we'll land your bird on the roof of the building across the street, and we'll just stake out the Shinra building and see." Reno's general cockiness and confidence were no where to be found in him. His shoulders were slumped forward, and his eyes had lost their spark. The guilt of Vincent and Spencer's deaths, or at least, their serious injury, was crushing him. Only seeing them alive and well would make him feel any better.

---------

Tifa had continued to feel uneasy all day. She couldn't shake the images of the dream she'd had that morning, nor could she get over what she and Cid had done the night before. Despite her attempts to not think about her encounter with him, she found herself doing so, causing her to catch her breath and tremble slightly at the thought. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, she wanted to be with him again. The fact that she couldn't kiss him or really even touch him all day long because of the kids got to her.

They sat in the family room all watching some movie on the television. Seeing that the boys were engrossed for the time being, Tifa, sitting next to Cid on the couch, leaned over and whispered into his ear. "Come back to the bedroom in a few minutes."

He looked at her and cocked an eyebrow, before nodding shallowly. He, too, had been miserable all day that he hadn't been able to touch her. After watching her retreat, he remained where he was for a few minutes and then got up, quietly slipping back to the bedroom.

Cid entered and saw Tifa just standing before the bed. He locked the door and went forward, stopping in front of her.

Tifa smiled at the pilot for a moment and then put her arms around him. "I'm sorry for freaking out this morning."

He rested his cheek against the top of her head and closed his eyes. Holding her just felt unbelievably good. He'd envied Vincent's ability to do this with her whenever he so chose. "It's all right, Tiff. You're under a lot of stress. Maybe us being together that quickly was just a little more than I should have asked for."

She moved back slightly so she could look into his eyes. "You didn't ask me, I asked you."

Cid smiled at her words, and felt his desire for her stir once more. "You know, if we stay in here talking about this, I'm gonna end up doing something."

Tifa giggled. "We can't, Cid. Not until after the boys go to bed."

"It was worth a try," he replied, shrugging.

"How about just a kiss?" Tifa asked, already closing her eyes.

Cid's usual smirk returned and then he let his lips meet hers.

---------

Reno sat at a computer console within the control room of the ASRIO base. Although he had the outward appearance of someone engrossed in work, anyone that would have looked at the computer screen would have seen that Reno was really just flipping through pictures of various scantily clad women that he'd downloaded.

Quigley walked up before him, unable to see what was on the screen. "Reno?"

Immediately, he hit the power button on his monitor and shifted his position in his chair before looking at Quigley. He hadn't heard the other man approach and was embarrassed, even though the researcher had no idea what Reno had been up to. "Quiggers?"

Quigley sat in one of the two chairs before Reno's desk. He was obviously uncomfortable, and didn't meet Reno's gaze. "Hey, I just wanted to know…how Spencer died."

Reno hung his head, wishing that he could tell his friend that his beloved brother might not actually be dead, but again, that was a secret he needed to keep. "Quiggers, I don't really--"

In an uncharacteristic moment, Quigley got angry and refused to be blown off. He leaned forward and slammed his hands down onto Reno's desk. "God damn it, Reno! He was my brother! I have a right to know!"

"Okay, keep your panties on," Reno shot back, crossing his arms over his chest.

Quigley settled down, awaiting the story.

"It happened just as we were getting ready to run out of the lab, after Vinny realized that Jaras wasn't himself." Reno closed his eyes, reliving that moment. "The alarm had started to go off, and a couple of guards ran in, machine guns blazing. Kimo took out one instantly, but the other took aim at Spencer and just blasted him."

"And?"

"And what?" Reno asked.

"Did he…" Quigley stopped and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. "Did he die right away?"

Reno opted to not tell Quigley that Spencer had lain screaming for several moments after being shot. "No, he was dead before he hit the floor, bud."

Quigley nodded, accepting this. "He loved his job, Reno."

"I know, he was a good guy," Reno sighed back, remembering that Spencer had never once turned down a mission, and how well he'd done on all of them. "A good God damned guy."

The first smile that Quigley had shown in a while cropped up. It wasn't like Reno to just praise people for no reason. His brother must have truly impressed the ASRIO leader. "Thanks, that means a lot coming from you."

"Maybe I can make things better." Reno leaned back in his chair, putting his boots onto his desk.

"What?" Quigley didn't understand.

Reno flashed a brief smile, hoping that tonight would go well. "Oh hell, I don't know. Never mind."

Grieving or not, there were plenty of things for Quigley to work on. He got up and knit his brow. "I'm going to go. Thanks for letting Spencer work here. I know he loved it, Reno."

"Sure thing." Reno reached forward and turned his computer screen back on, getting back to the task at hand.

---------

Several more hours had gone by, and Reno hadn't moved from his desk. He looked up at the clock and saw that it was seven. He pulled out his phone and dialed home.

Angel answered on the fourth ring. "Hello?"

"Hey Babe." Reno smiled instinctively upon hearing her voice.

"Reno, where are you?" she asked, not having expected him to have stayed at work this long.

"The base." He stood up and stretched the stiffness from his body. "Hey, I'm going to probably just stay here tonight. I've got a lot of stuff to catch up on."

Angel shrugged. Having Reno spend the night in their old room in the base wasn't all that unusual, he'd done it on occasion. "Oh, all right. Dana's spending the night at Jessie's house anyway, so it'll give me a chance to do a few things around here."

The fact that Angel was always so understanding made him feel bad that he was lying to her. "Okay. I'll see you in the morning."

"All right. Goodnight."

"Babe?" Reno asked, hoping to catch her before she hung up.

Angel still had the phone in her hand. "Yeah?"

Reno knit his brow. "I love you."

It struck her as odd. Not that Reno had said it, but that he had done so over the phone sounding completely serious. Usually, if he said it on the phone, it was just a quick 'love ya' hastily tacked on as he hung up. "Reno?"

"Yeah?"

Angel smiled. "I love you, too. Goodnight."

"Night, Babe." He hung up and went out to the hanger.

Brad was waiting for him, with the helicopter already powered up.

Reno climbed in and went ahead and landed in the copilot's seat, donning the headset. "Hey, thanks again."

Brad grinned over at him. "Like I've said before, any excuse to fly is a good one."

Reno shook his head. Pilots like Cid and Brad were a strange breed. "I'm glad you feel that way."

"Sure thing." Brad pulled the bird up into the sky and headed off toward their goal.

---------

Peirte looked over at the clock, seeing that it was ten 'til midnight. "Gentlemen, I do believe it is time for you to make your exits."

Vincent, Spencer, and Sephiroth all looked over at him.

"Well, don't all just run out of here at once." The scientist approached them.

Sephiroth was the first to get up. He slipped his glasses into his shirt pocket and picked up the sword he'd been given with his left hand, the book he'd been reading in his right.

After tying the laces on the combat boots he'd been given, Vincent also rose, having his ferium kit in the leg pocket of the jumpsuit he was wearing, and the 9mm Peirte had turned over to him in his hand.

Spencer did much the same, but was unarmed.

Vincent looked over at the scientist. "So, we just walk out?"

"Why not?" Peirte went over and held open the lab door. "Go on, your destiny awaits. Three weeks, just remember that."

Vincent looked over at his son, finding Sephiroth smiling at him again. He nodded curtly and then walked on out, being followed by the other two.

Peirte closed the lab door behind them. He hoped that all would go as planned.

Vincent started down the hall toward the elevators, but stopped just a short way from the lab door. Slowly, he turned his head to the left, seeing five neatly grouped bullet holes in the wall next to him.

Chaos took notice, as well._ Look at that, your blood is still there, too. You're like a fucking cat, Vincent. Nine lives…how many more do you think you have left? One for Lucrecia, one when you went on that first raid with ASRIO, one when Cid hit you with the plane, and one here in this hallway. That's four, Vincent. Five left. How shall we spend them?_

Vincent was shaken out of his daze when Sephiroth put his hand upon his shoulder. His son pushed him forward gently. "No time for dwelling upon the past."

Vincent nodded and moved toward the elevators.

---------

The building across from the Shinra office in Junon was owned by ASRIO sympathizers, and they had granted Reno clearance to use their roof as a landing spot during a phone call earlier that day.

Brad gently brought his chopper down there and cut the engines. He turned to Reno. "I'm gonna stay with the bird, just in case we need to make a quick get away."

Reno nodded and got up. "Sounds like a plan. I'm going down to the ground and keep an eye out. If I'm not back by one, go home."

Not one to question orders generally, Brad flashed him a smile. "Sure thing. Go get 'em."

Reno exited the chopper and went over to the building's elevator. He checked his gun during the twelve-story ride downward, hoping that he wouldn't need it. Then again, if Vincent, Spencer, and Jaras were really going to break out, there was every chance that they would be followed out of the building by a mob of guards.

Once on the ground floor, Reno made his way through the lobby of the building and stepped out onto the sidewalk. He looked up at the Shinra building as it loomed before him. Somewhere, inside, he desperately hoped that his friends were making their way out.

He looked around, realizing that he was rather conspicuous on the street, since there was absolutely no one else out due to the hour. Reno tried to step back into a shadow as best he could, but there was little cover offered here.

Reno was staring at the main entrance to the building, knowing good and well that there was little chance that if Vincent were alive, he would lead them out through it.

Soon enough, he was proven wrong.

The doors opened and three men quickly walked out, two in white jumpsuits, one in black clothes. Reno couldn't believe his eyes. He ran forward into the middle of the street. "Hey!"

Vincent, Sephiroth, and Spencer all looked over at Reno, and then ran toward him.

Not feeling that they had time for pleasantries, Reno turned and ran back into the other building and entered, hitting the elevator call button. So far, it didn't look like anyone was pursuing his friends.

The three men caught up with Reno and met him as he waited for the elevator.

Reno knit his brow for a moment as he examined them, and then went to Vincent, and threw his arms around him. "Fuck man, I thought you were dead…"

Vincent reached up and clapped Reno on the back, before pushing out of his awkward embrace. He felt absolutely nothing for the man before him, the man he intended to betray. "I'm not."

"No shit." Reno smiled and the elevator doors opened.

They all entered and started the ride up to the roof.

Reno looked at Jaras. "Hey, are you…okay?"

Doing his best to put on Jaras' socially inept, geekish air, Sephiroth shrugged. "Yeah. They tired injecting me with the Jenova cells, and it almost worked, but just a few hours after you had come and gone, the Mako that's still in my body killed what they'd put into me. I felt…weird there for a while, but now I'm okay."

Reno seemed to take this in stride and he looked at Vincent. "So how in the fuck are you alive?"

Vincent's expressionless eyes looked down at his chest. With his left hand, he reached up and grabbed the zipper to his jumpsuit and undid it half way.

As the white fabric parted, Reno could see the hideous incision line and bullet holes that graced Vincent's chest. He stepped forward and held open his father in law's jumpsuit, to get a good view. It looked terrible. "Shit, Vinny…"

Vincent stepped back after feeling that Reno had seen enough. He would give a half-truth in response. "Dr. Methius didn't let Spencer and I die."

Reno looked at Spencer. "Are you that fucked up, too?"

Quigley's baby brother just nodded.

"Are you guys in pain? You've got to be miserable!" Reno didn't understand how they could be standing there so calm with such injuries. The small incision he'd gotten during an emergency appendectomy four years earlier had damn near driven him insane. The wounds that these two men sported were a thousand times worse.

"I think," Spencer started, "that we're in too much shock at getting away right now to worry about it."

The elevator got to the roof and they went to the chopper. Reno opened the door and all four of them got in.

Upon hearing the door close, Brad fired up the engines and got them into the air.

Reno sat next to Vincent. "I was going to have Derek picked up last night, but he never showed. Do you know where he is?"

Vincent forced himself to frown. "He helped us get out but on the way, he was killed."

Reno raised his eyebrows. "Really?"

"Yes. He decided to stay back and try to distract the guards." Vincent narrowed his eyes, trying not to let Chaos' ecstasy over having killed Derek make him smile. "They opened fire upon him."

"Damn." Reno hadn't gotten to talk to Derek in person more than twice, but he was still hit by his death. He had been a wonderful plant. Deciding to change the subject, Reno met Vincent's gaze. "Tifa's going to be really happy, Vinny."

He tensed his jaw. Ferium or not, something still hurt a little. He didn't think that Tifa would be happy in the least. She seemed fairly contented to be with Cid now. Vincent forced himself to lie. "And I will be, too."

Reno was getting a strange feeling from Vincent, but then again, his father in law generally had that effect upon him. He noticed the gun clutched in Vincent's hand. "Where did you pick that up?"

Vincent cocked an eyebrow. "I had to kill a Turk on the way out, and I took it from his body." _Lying feels good, doesn't it?  
_"Oh," Reno said back, thinking that if anyone was capable of taking out a Turk, that it would be Vincent. He then turned his gaze over to where Jaras was sitting, the sword he'd gotten resting across his knees. "And that sword, did you guys pick that up off someone you had to fight on the way out, too?"

Vincent merely nodded in response.

If they'd really fought their way out of the building, Reno couldn't figure out why no one had chased them as they'd made their way to the other building and to the roof. He could see that Vincent had turned away from him, apparently opting to tune him out for the time being. Reno figured he would just have to get the details of their escape later. "Vinny?"

He just sighed, not looking back at him.

Reno still had something to ask. "Do you want us to go and just drop you off at home? Tifa needs to know you're alive, Vinny."

He scowled for a second and then turned back to Reno. "No, I think it would be best if I were just to go back to the base with you for now."

Knowing that there had been something going on in Vincent's life before going on the mission, Reno figured that maybe Tifa and he had been fighting. "Vinny, are things okay at home? I'd think that you'd want to see her after all of this."

He was not going to get into it with Reno. "Take me back to the base. I will deal with Tifa when the time is right. _Cid_ is with her, she's fine."

Reno actually got mad. He couldn't believe that Vincent would turn down the chance to get home at once. His wife was pregnant if nothing else. "Vinny! What the fuck is wrong with you?"

Once more, Vincent faced away from his son in law. "I'm not getting into it with you, Reno-- not now, not ever. Don't worry about my personal business. I'll call her from the base later."

_Maybe he's just too freaked out to deal with it right now, _Reno thought to himself, as he stared at Vincent's back. He couldn't really blame him for being a little mentally unstable at the moment, after all that he'd been through. "Fine, Vinny. Have it your way."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

Tifa roused from her sleep and looked over at the clock, seeing that it was three in the morning. Cid was lying behind Tifa, with his arm draped over her. They hadn't done anything more than kiss and hold each other tonight, since Cid figured he'd give Tifa another day to think about things before asking her to be with him again. Still, they didn't want the boys to know anything so they had decided to sleep in separate beds, but at some point tonight, they had both fallen asleep.

Tifa moved away from Cid and then turned over to face him. "Hey, Cid?"

His eyes opened lazily and he gave her a smile. "Yeah?"

"We fell asleep." She wasn't eager to send him away, but that's how it had to be. "You need to get back to your room."

"Damn it." Cid stretched and then sat up, running a hand through his hair. This arrangement was going to be a pain in the ass. He slid from the bed and got up. After walking around to Tifa's side of the bed, he bent down and gave her one more kiss before sulking off to the lonely guestroom.

---------

The chopper set down at the ASRIO base at five in the morning. Exhausted in his relief, Reno had slept for much of the trip back and now was wake. He and the other men got out of the helicopter and walked down into the base. Reno led them directly to the infirmary, thinking that Spencer and Vincent were in need of medical attention. At some point during the flight home, the front of Vincent's jumpsuit had been spotted with blood, indicating that his injuries were still relatively fresh.

Having gotten a call from Reno an hour before, alerting her to the need to be in the infirmary, Dr. Arlin just sat half asleep on an empty bed. Since Reno hadn't given her the reason why she'd been called in, she was not in the best of moods when the doors opened and she heard Reno's voice.

"Janice, we've got company!" Reno announced as he sauntered in.

She brought her tired gaze up and donned an expression of shock. "Oh dear God, Vincent? Spencer? Jaras?"

The three men all flashed her rather feeble smiles.

Janice pointed at them, and looked over at Reno. "Two of them are supposed to be dead!"

"I know, turns out Shinra decided to fuck with them a little after we left." Reno went over and sat on the edge of a bed. "Vinny and Spence need to be looked at."

Seeing the blood that was marking Vincent's outfit, Janice figured that he was in the most need. "Come over here."

Although reluctant to be tended to since he felt nothing remotely like pain at the moment, Vincent knew that he needed to try and act compliant. He went over and stood before her.

"Show me what happened to you," Janice asked, pushing her glasses up.

Again, Vincent unzipped the front to his jumpsuit, this time allowing the upper portion of it to fall from his shoulders, exposing his torso completely.

Upon seeing the considerable incision upon Vincent's chest and the corresponding bullet holes, Janice's eyes went wide and she motioned toward the nearest bed. "Good Lord, Vincent, go lay down!"

He sighed heavily and then did as ordered.

__

That's it, Vincent, put on a nice act for the doctor. Maybe she'll give you some good drugs, too, Chaos mused in the back of his mind.

Dr. Arlin stood over Vincent, shaking her head. The fact that he was up and walking around with such an injury was more than she would have expected. From the locations of the bullet wounds, she couldn't imagine how he hadn't just died at once. Certainly, they'd hit his heart. "I'm assuming that he opened you up to treat those gunshots?"

"Yeah," Vincent replied simply, resting his right arm over his eyes to block out the rude glare of the light above.

She didn't care if there were others in the room to overhear and asked, "How's your heart faired through all of this?"

He let his arm fall back to his side again and met her gaze. Emotionless or not, he couldn't miss the opportunity. "Why don't you take a listen to it for yourself?"

This wasn't a bad idea and Janice pulled her stethoscope from her coat pocket and put it to work.

Vincent closed his eyes as he felt the cold instrument placed against his chest, but then opened them again quickly, realizing that part of him wanted to see her reaction.

Janice listed for several seconds, but didn't understand what she was hearing. She picked up the end of her stethoscope for a moment and tapped it with her finger, to make sure that it was working before placing it back on his chest. No matter how she positioned it, she couldn't hear his heart beating at all, rather just some low droning hum. After a full two minutes of listening, she pulled her stethoscope off and shoved it back into her pocket. "Is this some sort of weird joke?"

Vincent just blinked up at her.

Reno slid from the bed he was sitting on and came over to Janice's side, seeing that she was confused. "Somethin' wrong with him?"

She crossed her arms over her chest and looked at Reno. "Yeah, no heart beat."

Reno couldn't help himself. "Time to bust out the garlic and wooden stakes, huh?"

Janice was not amused and she looked down at Vincent again. "Do you have any idea what they did to you?"

He cocked an eyebrow. "Can't you tell?"

Now she realized that he was intentionally messing with her. "Very funny, Vincent. Are you amused by the fact that they ripped out your heart?"

__

No, Tifa did that, they just took care of a failing part of my body, Vincent thought to himself.

"What?" Reno asked, stepping closer.

"I'm guessing that those bullets tore his heart apart, and whatever nut job they've got working in the lab in Junon put some sort of artificial heart into Vincent here." Janice crossed her arms over her chest.

"No shit?" Reno looked down at Vincent.

Janice pulled her stethoscope out and held it toward Reno. "Would you like to hear for yourself?"

That didn't appeal to Reno in the least. "Naw, I'll take your word for it."

Continuing to look into his father in law's face, Reno narrowed his eyes. Vincent had been through hell at the hands of Shinra before, and had now suffered this from them. No wonder he'd seemed a little off since getting out of the building. Reno couldn't help but pity him. "Vinny, it's okay though, right?"

Despite the fact he was lying down, Vincent shrugged. "I'm alive, aren't I?"

"I guess that means something," Reno said and turned to Dr. Arlin. "Hey, I'm gonna go do something real quick. Keep an eye on Vinny and Spence."

Janice had no idea what he was up to, but since she needed to examine Spencer as well and then get together some antibiotics for the two men, she didn't really care. "Fine."

Reno smiled and then looked over at Jaras. "Come on."

Sephiroth sighed and then followed Reno out of the room. He had no knowledge that Jeanine was here. "Where are we going?"

"To your room." Reno led him through the base and then stopped in front of a guest room door. He then reached out and knocked.

Sephiroth had no idea why Reno would knock on the door of what he would assume to be an empty room, but within a few seconds, the door unlocked and Sephiroth found himself faced with Jeanine.

She'd been awoken from a sound sleep, but all signs of her exhaustion faded as her eyes adjusted to the brightness of the corridor, and she saw Reno standing there with her husband behind him. "What…how?"

Even with all that had changed within his mind after the injection with Jenova, within his heart was still an attachment to this woman, and seeing the elated and happy expression that took over her face was more than even Sephiroth could bear. He pushed past Reno and took her into his arms.

Jeanine couldn't believe that he was here. She'd heard about what had happened during the mission, and had thought he was lost forever. "Jaras, I was so scared I'd never see you again!"

Although part of him cringed to be addressed by that name, it was overridden by what he felt about being with her again. "I know, I had my doubts as well."

Jeanine found that the way he'd just said that seemed a little off, but she racked it up to stress. Tears of relief were marking her cheeks.

Sephiroth looked back over his shoulder at Reno. "If you don't mind, I think I'm going to turn in, with my wife."

Reno gave him a wink and smirked. "Hey man, post danger lays are the best. Have a good time."

Sephiroth turned back to Jeanine and led her into the room, closing the door behind him. The dim light within made the glow of his eyes obvious, and their intensity at the moment betrayed the depth of emotion inside of him.

Jeanine had gotten used to those eyes over the years, but had rarely seen them this bright. "Jaras?"

"Yes?"

"I love you." Jeanine let her hands run through his silver locks.

Sephiroth may not have had much in his heart for humans in general, but the sentiments that Jaras had felt for her had gone unchanged. He had watched his father's resurrection without caring much, and was more or less indifferent about the mission that they were on, but Jeanine had a hold on his heart. He replied honestly, "I love you, too."

She smiled up at him in the darkness and pulled him over to the bed, and the two of them sat upon the edge of it, side by side.

Reno had told Jeanine that Jaras had been injected with Jenova and changed, and she wondered how he could now be sitting here before her, seemingly not much different. "Reno said that during the mission to save you, that you'd acted…strangely. He said that you'd turned back into Sephiroth."

He hid his reaction to this, and gave her the same story he'd given Reno. "They did inject me and I felt…different for a while there, but there's so much Mako still in my body from my immersion in the Lifestream, that it all eventually died off, leaving me like this again."

Jeanine tried to blink back the tears. When she'd been told that he had been changed, it had been like being told that the man that she loved had died. "I can't believe you're all right…"

Sephiroth took her face into his hands and closed his eyes, then kissing her. Before becoming Jaras, he'd never gotten very involved with any female, and even though he had all of his memories as Jaras, part of him felt like he was about to lose his virginity again and he was quickly becoming aroused.

When his lips left hers, Jeanine whispered, "Jaras, you're probably exhausted… We don't have to do anything now if you don't want to."

He knit his brow momentarily. Sephiroth was more than anxious to be with her, but he would respect her wishes. "I'm not tired in the least at the moment, but if you're not wanting to, then that is all right."

Again, this statement just wasn't what she normally would have anticipated out of him. Jeanine had expected Jaras to either just continued on with the encounter or to have just backed off if he was tired. "Of course I want to! I've spent the last several days thinking I'd never get the chance again, Jaras!"

He realized that he should probably tell her that Vincent was alive, too, since she did have an attachment to him. "Not only did I come back from the lab, but Vincent is alive and here, too."

Jeanine held her breath for a moment. "He's alive?"

"Yes."

"Does Tifa know?" Jeanine felt her heart race, fearing that upon getting word that Vincent was dead, that she would have turned back to Cid. She had to be alerted right away, hopefully preventing her from sleeping with the pilot.

"Not yet." Sephiroth moved to kiss her again, but she placed her hand on the center of his chest, holding him back.

"Someone needs to tell her, or she might do something stupid!" Jeanine realized she couldn't break the doctor/patient bond between Vincent and herself, and so didn't throw out Cid's name.

Sephiroth, already having his own suspicions but not having any sentiments toward Tifa at the moment, didn't really care. "I'm sure Vincent will call her soon."

Jaras never referred to Vincent by his first name anymore. Jeanine cocked her head to the side. "Jaras? Are you all right?"

He nodded. "Yes. Why?"

"You're not exactly sounding like yourself. You just called your father by his first name. You haven't done that in years." She reached up and stroked his cheek.

The feel of her hand against his face made his state of arousal worse. He had to give her an answer that would satisfy her for the time being, before he got what he wanted. "It's just that being held in that lab brought back a lot of memories of being Sephiroth. I'm all right, Jeanine, but you understand…"

Her heart ached for him. What it had been like to be kidnapped and then held in a lab, after what he'd gone through growing, up must have been awful for him. She knew she was lucky that he hadn't simply lost his mind. "Jaras, if you need to talk about any of it, we can."

Sephiroth's eyes went wide as the memory of the rape Jaras had suffered on the way to the lab flashed before him. Despite his usual cool demeanor, this memory bit at something deep within him, and he started breathing a little quicker, his previous arousal instantly fading.

Even without her clinical training, it would have been obvious that something truly horrible had happened to her husband. She put her arms around him and pulled him close to her. "Oh God, Jaras, what did they do to you?"

He had to get it out, and she was the only person in the world he could tell. "Jeanine…"

She thought she almost heard tears in his voice. "It's okay, you can tell me."

"On the way to the lab, my abductors stopped for the night in a motel. I was left with two men. Jeanine, they both took turns… doing something to me." Sephiroth never would have thought he would have to say something like that. The only thing that made the memory bearable at all was the knowledge that he had already killed one of the two offenders. Somehow, he would get to the other and kill him, too.

Instantly knowing what he meant, Jeanine tightened her hold on him and felt tears of anger in her eyes. How anyone could have done something so terrible to him was beyond her reasoning. Jaras was the sweetest man she'd ever known, and to think that he had suffered such a thing tore right through her. Never would she have imagined being in a position where she would be potentially required to give any rape counseling to her husband. "It's all right, Jaras. I'm so sorry…"

Sephiroth was not someone who would dwell on such a thing longer than absolutely needed. Within a few minutes, he got his composure together and moved back from her embrace just far enough as to be able to look into Jeanine's eyes again. "What's done is done. I'm just happy to be here now, with you."

Once more, Jeanine reached up and stroked his cheek, and again, Sephiroth felt himself become aroused. The fact that he was this sensitive to her touch drove him mad and he kissed her.

Realizing that he wanted to lose himself for the time being, Jeanine reached for the buttons to his shirt and got to undoing them, soon having his chest exposed. She ran her hands over his torso, causing him to shudder in anticipation.

Sephiroth, in the meanwhile, pushed the robe she was wearing from her shoulders and then he lay back upon the bed, pulling her down with him. He was going to make the most out of the situation. Jeanine would be pleased with his performance, as the Jenova within him gave him a level of stamina that he'd not previously possessed. They would not emerge from their room until much later in the day.

---------

The phone rang, and Angel rolled over and answered. She'd been awake for a little bit, but it was still early and she had remained in bed, staring up at the ceiling in the darkness. "Hello?"

"Hey, Babe." Reno was standing in the hall outside of the infirmary doors. "The squirt's still at Jessie's I'm guessin'?"

"Yeah," Angel replied, sitting up and stretching. It wasn't Reno's usual thing to be up this early and she wondered if he'd been up all night working. "What are you doing?"

"Well, we had a little development come up last night, and I need you to come down here and see something." Reno smiled widely.

"What's that?" she asked.

"Just get down here. It's completely worth it, Angel. You're gonna be tickled shitless."

She sighed, able to tell that Reno was in one of his goofier moods. It was a relief in a way-- he hadn't been himself over the last several days. "All right, let me get dressed and down there."

"Okay, see ya." Reno hung up.

Angel got dressed and left the house. Within half an hour, she was crossing the airfield, heading toward the base entrance. She spotted Reno standing next to the door, waiting for her. "So, what's going on?"

He took her hand and went inside, pulling her along. "You're not going to believe what I did last night."

She wasn't sure whether or not she should be scared by that statement, and went along in silence as he led her to the doors of the infirmary.

Reno threw open the door and dragged Angel to the center of the room, pointing over to where Dr. Arlin was still standing over Vincent's bedside. "Go take a look at what the cat dragged in, Babe."

From where she was, she couldn't really tell who was in the bed and she let go of Reno and took a few steps closer. Realizing that Janice was smiling at her, Angel knit her brow and finally got to the bedside and looked down.

Vincent just lay there, staring back at her.

Angel was in shock. She had no idea what to say or how he'd gotten here. The vicious wounds were still exposed on her father's chest, and she felt tears come to her eyes. "How…how did you get here? How did you survive?"

_Time to put on a good show, Vincent. Don't give it away, _Chaos growled in the back of his mind.

Vincent forced a smile. "Angel…"

She reached down and grabbed his nearest hand. "I've been so upset…"

"Well, it's all right now. I'm fine." He let his smile fade, but kept looking at her.

Angel looked up at Janice. "Is he okay?"

She nodded. "He seems to be. He's not complaining about any pain in any event. Angel, he's been given an artificial heart."

Her ice blue eyes met the doctor's and went wide. "But those…"

Janice nodded. Unfortunately, artificial hearts had a bad reputation for not being entirely reliable. Then again, Vincent had been running off of one in the artificial body that Hojo had put him into once and it had worked fine for the time he had it. "I know, but we'll keep a close eye on him."

Angel just nodded in acceptance, knowing that there was little else that she could do for the time being. She smiled back down at her father, her absolute relief clear. "I'm just so happy…"

Reno came up and placed his hand upon her shoulder, ready to deliver the rest of the news. "And guess what?"

She looked into his eyes. "What?"

"He kept his promise, too." Reno couldn't help but smile.

Angel looked confused for a moment, and then her eyes went wide. "He said he wouldn't leave that lab without Jaras…"

"Bingo." He held her to him tighter. "Your bro is here, but he's off bangin' his old lady for now."

The crudeness of his take on the situation slid right by her. She looked around the infirmary and spotted Spencer sitting on one of the other beds. "Oh God, Spencer, you're alive, too?"

From his place he just nodded. He, like Vincent, lacked any real emotion about the situation thanks to the ferium.

Angel looked into Reno's eyes again. "Did you tell Quigley?"

He shook his head. "Not yet, I wanted to let you know that your dad and brother were alive first. I'll go get him now."

She watched her husband saunter off and then turned back to her father. "Have you spoken to Tifa yet?"

_Watch it, Vincent. She can see right through you. You can't blow her off like that idiot Reno, _Chaos reminded him.

Vincent diverted his gaze from her and frowned briefly. "No, not yet. I was wanting to wait until I knew that I was going to be all right before I did."

"Well, it looks like you are," Janice said as she moved over to begin examining Spencer.

Angel smiled. "I think it would be best just for you to go see her and show her that you're alive in person."

_Vincent, we can't pass up that sort of chance! We can make Cid pay dearly._

Even through the haze of the ferium, Vincent still ached from the memory of watching his wife and Cid. Yet, he forced himself to smile again. "If it wouldn't be too much trouble."

"I'll have Brad fly you home as soon as Janice is done with you here." Angel looked over at the doctor, seeing if she had heard.

Dr. Arlin looked up from Spencer and over at them. "I really want to observe him until at least later this afternoon. Beyond that, he can do what he wishes."

Chaos forced Vincent to smile.

---------

Reno went to Quigley's room, but didn't find him. He strolled down to the lab to see if the researcher could be found there.

Upon entering, he found Quigley, slumped over his desk in the corner asleep. Reno went over and sat on the edge of the desk, placing his hand in the middle of Quigley's back. "Hey, Quiggers?"

The man stirred and sat up, his eyes showing that it hadn't been a restful sleep in the least. "Reno?"

"The one and only."

"What time is it?" Quigley asked, disoriented.

"Too fuckin' early." Reno smiled and reached out, tousling the blonde's hair. "But I got something important to show you."

Quigley raised his eyebrows and ran a hand through his hair to get it back as it had been. "What?"

"Come on." Reno got back to his feet.

The researcher sighed heavily and got up, following along obediently. He, like Angel, found himself led to the infirmary.

They entered and Quigley immediately noticed Spencer sitting on a bed, being tended to by Dr. Arlin. "Holy shit, Spence?"

He produced a smile for his brother. "Quig."

With a look of disbelief upon his face, Quigley went over and embraced his brother. "Spence, what happened?"

Spencer waited for his brother to let go of him and step back before answering. "I was shot and hurt badly, but I lived. The guy in the Shinra lab did some sort of surgery on me. Vincent and I escaped once we felt like we could manage."

Quigley glanced over his shoulder and saw that Vincent was here as well. He flashed him a brief smile and then turned back to his brother. There were tears in Quigley's eyes. "Spence, when they told me you were dead, I…I completely lost it. I've been unable to do anything."

Like Vincent, Spencer knew he had to put forth a convincing display. "I'm sorry. I know you've always hated the fact that I go on these missions, fearing that something like this would happen, but I'm okay, Quig."

Quigley just embraced him again. His heartache was over.

Angel stepped away from her father's side and went back to Reno. "Hey, I have a favor to ask."

"What's that, Babe?"

"My father wants to go see Tifa after Janice gives him the all clear this afternoon," Angel said, picking up her husband's hand.

Reno cocked his head to the side. "Really?"

She didn't understand. "Of course. Why do you look so surprised?"

With her hand in his, Reno simply walked far enough away from Vincent to be out of his hearing range. That done, he met her gaze again. "Last night, after I picked him up-- and yeah, I went to Junon last night and picked him up so don't freak out that I lied-- I asked him if he wanted us to stop at his house. He got pissy and said no. I asked him what the problem was and he got really weird. He told me that he'd call her from the base when he was damned good and ready."

"Reno, you know he was probably just upset and confused about what he'd been through." Angel looked back over her shoulder at her father. "But I just talked to him and he said that he wanted to go home and let Tifa know that he was alive. He wasn't upset about it at all."

Reno still had his doubts. "I don't know. I'm sorta getting the feeling that something wasn't right back home before this. I talked to him a little before we went on the mission and although he wouldn't tell me anything specific, I picked up that something was wrong. He gets kinda snippy like Tseng used to when there's something hurting him."

"I don't know what to tell you, Reno. He was just fine this time." Angel was anxious to get back to Vincent's side.

He shrugged and watched her walk off. She knew her father better than he did, after all.

---------

Tifa and Cid were sitting on the porch, enjoying the evening. It was getting close to ten, and they boys had been asleep now for well over an hour. They had been there in silence for a while, having let the conversation die off.

A storm was coming in, and the cool air got to Cid and he started coughing. So far, most of his coughing fits had taken place at night when he was lying down, but they were starting to come during other times now. He covered his mouth with his hand, trying to get over this bout as quickly as possible. Finally, it let up and Cid pulled his hand away and he looked at it.

It was sprayed with blood.

Tifa was watching him and caught his expression. "Cid? Are you okay?"

He gave an insincere smile and then closed his stained hand. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Cid had always been a horrible liar and Tifa called him on it. "You're not feeling good, are you?"

On one hand, his chest was bothering him more than it had, but on the other, he was so happy to be with Tifa that in honesty, he felt better than he had in a long time. "Actually, I'm great, Tiff."

Now he seemed to be honest. Tifa smiled and shook her head. Cid had always been a little strange, but it was one of the things that had amused her about him.

Needing to go inside and wash his hand, Cid got up and gave her a grin before going into the house.

Tifa followed behind him, keeping her hands upon her stomach as she went. The baby was kicking at the moment, and she leaned against the kitchen counter as Cid stood at the sink, rising off his hands. She'd always thought him unbearably handsome and she found herself smiling.

As he dried his hands on his jeans, he caught her expression. "What's on your mind, lady?"

Tifa blushed. "I was just thinking…that you're really attractive."

Cid raised his eyebrows and smirked. "And when did you start liking men?"

She reached over and smacked him in the shoulder. "That's not nice!"

"You've got to admit, Tiff, I'm about as different from your last two guys as could be." Cid moved a little closer to Tifa and put his arms around her.

Tifa laughed at him. "I know, you think Cloud and Vincent were, how'd you put it? Pretty boys?"

"Yeah, and like I said, I'm more the rugged type." His smirk lingered. "So again, when did you actually start liking men?"

"You're terrible, Cid."

He was so used to this come back from Tifa, that he actually said it along with her, causing Tifa to break down laughing. It was unbelievably good to see her smiling and acting like she was having fun. Cid hadn't seen this sort of behavior from her in a long time, and he'd missed it. He reached up and took her face into his hands. "I've missed this part of you, Tiff."

"What's that?"

"Laughing, joking around. You stopped doing that a few years back." Cid brought his face closer to hers.

She moved closer to him as well. "I didn't feel like I had much of a reason there for a while."

He thought about seeing her sleeping with the cloak draped over her. Cid had gone in today when she'd been taking a nap, seeing that she had done it again. "But you still loved him?"

She nodded slightly. "Yeah. Stupid, huh?"

"No, not really," Cid sighed. "You two went through a lot together. Hell, you've got Aaron and several years of history. Sometimes it's not easy to admit that things just aren't right. You had a hard time letting go of Cloud, too."

"I did." Tifa appreciated the fact that Cid could talk to her like this without things erupting into some giant moment of drama.

"Well, make me a promise."

She stared into his blue eyes, seeing the feeling that burned there. "Okay."

"Even though I've only got a little while, let me know if I start to make you unhappy. I don't want to sit around and let you be miserable like they did, Tiff. If I do something wrong, I want to know about it so I can fix it." He smiled again.

"I will." Tifa closed her eyes and soon felt his lips upon hers.

Outside, the storm finally broke and the wind picked up, throwing rain against the house. Raging weather like this had always been a turn on for Tifa, and she found herself wanting to take Cid to her bed again.

Sensing the change within her, Cid pulled back from the kiss and narrowed his eyes. "Are you thinking what I am?"

Tifa smiled wider and looked down at the floor. "I think so."

"All right, let's go." Cid took her hand and led her from the kitchen and back to the bedroom.

Outside, things were getting violent, and the storm pounded against the bedroom windows with such force that any sound outside would have been drown out.

Cid let go of her and again sat on the edge of the bed, wondering what they should do this time. He was already aroused and anxious to get underway.

Tifa stood before him and smiled meekly, before starting to shed her clothing. The darkness of night kept her comfortably hidden, except during the flashes of lightning that illuminated the room. She regretted that these first real encounters with Cid had to be with her present pregnant form. Tifa knew that he would have been far happier with her in her normal state.

Cid watched her strip in the darkness, the smirk again coming to his lips. She was putting forth the effort to be a little braver with him, and he appreciated it. He undid his belt and unzipped his jeans.

Tifa saw him do this as she dropped her last article of clothing to the floor and she came over closer to him. Feeling terribly awkward about it, she asked him, "What do you want?"

He narrowed his eyes. "Can you get on your knees, or is that too uncomfortable for you at the moment?"

She laughed nervously. "No, I can."

Cid just looked up at her expectantly.

Tifa closed her eyes and knelt before him, knowing what he was after. Not being a particularly big fan of this, it was something that she had only done on occasion for Vincent, and only twice for Cloud.

Cid stood back up and placed his hands upon her shoulders. He looked down at her face. "Go ahead."

With her hands shaking, Tifa reached up and pulled down his loosened jeans and the underlying boxers just far enough to expose him. She glanced upward and saw that he was still looking at her, with one eyebrow raised. Knowing that he wanted this badly, Tifa closed her eyes and took him into her mouth.

---------

The storm was making the helicopter ride to Kalm rough. Vincent sat alone in the back of the chopper, Brad being the only other person in the machine. Reno had offered to go with him, or rather, Angel had asked him to, but Vincent had refused, feeling that he needed to deal with things alone.

The turbulence rocking the old huey wasn't something that Vincent particularly appreciated. He'd never been a big fan of flying, and feeling this rusty bird buck through the storm wasn't helping that. Luckily, they would be there before too much longer.

---------

After having Tifa work at him on her knees for a good ten minutes, Cid was ready to move on to something else. He had his hands entwined in her hair and he pulled her back from him.

Tifa looked up and met his gaze, wondering what his next request would be.

He stepped side. "You can just lean against the bed if you want."

Tifa moved and put her elbows onto the bed, with her knees still on the floor. With her head turned back, she watched as Cid hastily pulled off his shirt and then pushed his jeans off completely, before getting down on the floor behind her. Tifa relaxed and laid her head upon the bed, getting ready for whatever he was going to do next.

Cid ran his hands across her back a few times, seeing that she was somewhat ticklish and that she shivered as he did so. With a smile upon his lips, he whispered, "Tifa, you have no idea how much I wanted you over all of those years."

Her only response to him was a soft moan as she felt him slide a finger into her. She pushed back against his hand slightly, wanting him to just go ahead and enter her. Tifa hoped that he would be able to hit that same wonderful place within her in this position that he'd found last time.

This instant response from her caught Cid's attention. "You want it already?"

"Yes," she sighed back to him. Being talked to like this during sex was something that Tifa was surprised to realize she liked. "I want it."

Cid's smirk widened and he removed his hand from her and gave her want she wished.

Tifa clawed at the comforter on the bed as he got to work. She was elated to discover that he was just as capable of getting to that spot within her, causing her to give out muffled cries into the mattress before her.

---------

The chopper set down and the engines were cut. Vincent got up from his seat and opened the door, stepping out into the storm. The wind whipped at him mercilessly, but for now, he was impervious to it.

His house was only fifty yards away, but he realized that the storm, with its wind and thunder, would have probably hidden the chopper's approach. All of the lights within the house seemed to be off as he walked toward it.

Once at the back door, he found that it was locked, but he knew that there was a spare key hidden in a planter next to the door and he retrieved it, letting himself in.

He stood in the kitchen in the darkness for a few moments, letting his eyes adjust to the interior. Once he could see well enough, he started forward. Vincent figured that Tifa was most likely in bed already and he headed back to their room.

As he made his way down the hall, he heard some hushed sounds coming from his bedroom and instantly knew what was going on. Vincent began to move in complete silence, intending to scare Tifa and Cid for whatever it was worth.

Gently he touched the doorknob to the bedroom, but found that it was locked. He reached above the door and pulled the tiny key that rested upon the doorframe down. Without making a sound, he slipped it into the lock and turned it.

With the door unlocked, he opened it a small way and looked in. He'd donned a black pair of pants and a shirt after being released from the infirmary, and the color concealed him. Cid and Tifa were facing away from Vincent, still wrapped up in their encounter that was just nearing the climax for both of them. Vincent really didn't have to put that much effort into being stealthy-- they wouldn't have noticed much anyway.

Vincent stepped inside, not taking his eyes away from the pilot and his wife. He'd given himself another dose of ferium in the helicopter just before landing, and although it's effect of calming and numbing him had been renewed, anger and pain still seethed up within him upon seeing what was going on. If he had brought his gun with him, Cid would already be dead.

There was a several minute long pause between flashes of lightning, casting the room into total darkness. Tifa opened her eyes as she felt herself getting close to the end, and when the next flash of lightning lit the room, she outright screamed in terror.

What she'd seen in that brief moment of light was Vincent, standing beside the bed with his arms crossed over his chest, glaring down at her.

Cid, too, had spotted someone standing there in that moment, although he refused to believe that it could actually have been Vincent-- he didn't believe in ghosts.

Tifa scrambled away and into the corner, mortified. She had no idea how Vincent was here, and the way he'd just seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, had given her the scare of her life.

Cid had moved quickly as well, going over and throwing the switch to the bedroom's light.

It was Vincent, and he looked pissed.

Realizing that his life was probably in danger, and not wanting to die in the state he was in, Cid reached down and grabbed his jeans, hastily pulling them back on. "Wh…what the fuck?"

Vincent cocked his head to the side. "I could ask the same thing."

Tifa continued to cower in the corner. She was shocked that it was Vincent, and she was profoundly shamed at having been seen with Cid. "Reno said you were dead!"

Vincent didn't break his gaze away from Cid as he answered her. "Reno was wrong."

"Oh God, Vincent…" Tifa slowly stood back up, and pulled her bathrobe from its nearby hook. "If I'd thought you were alive, I wouldn't have…"

"Why not?" Vincent asked, his outward appearance of calm not betraying the pain he felt or the begging that Chaos was doing to rip Cid apart. "You didn't even wait an entire day before doing it with him, Tifa."

How he could know this was beyond her. Tears marked her face. She knew that there was no excuse for her actions. Tifa looked at Cid for help, but saw that he was presently looking terrified beyond words and staring at Vincent.

"I know I gave you permission in those notes, but I would have thought it might have taken a little longer for the two of you to start fucking." Vincent turned his eyes to Tifa. "Not even one God damned full day."

"How in the hell do you know what we have or haven't done? How long have you been creeping around here?" Cid asked, finally having the fortitude to speak up.

"I just got here, hoping to show Tifa that I was still alive. Maybe I was wanting some sort of favorable reaction from her." Vincent's emotions over the scene were doing their best to fight past the ferium. "I surely didn't expect to come home from the nightmare I was put through just to walk into another."

Tifa was completely confused and lost. She covered her face with her hands and began to cry.

Vincent locked gazes with Cid. "I should have made you leave."

Cid was shaking, despite his attempts to remain calm. "Yeah, you should have. That way, when Reno came here the other night to tell her you were dead, she could've laid there and cried her fucking eyes out all night alone. You're the fucker that had to go on that God damned mission that you had no business goin' on."

"You both knew that I had to go." Vincent's eyes were starting to show his fury. "I was shot five times. I came back from death, only to find that my wife was so happy for me to be gone that she started fucking you the very next night!"

They had hooked up too quickly after Vincent's supposed death, Cid knew that. What was done was done, though. "Your marriage with her was over anyway, Sue."

Vincent turned his glare to Tifa. "So that's it? You really had no intention of us trying to work through things after I got back from the mission?"

She was incapable of answering and just continued to cry.

This annoyed Vincent more. "Knock the fucking crying off! Every time something happens, you start that shit! Quit hiding behind tears and tell me what you're really thinking!"

Cid, scared or not, wasn't going to let Vincent talk to her like that. He dared to take a step forward. "Shut the hell up, you bastard! With all the bullshit you've put her through, you're lucky she stayed with you as long as she did!"

"You're dead," Vincent growled, letting his arms fall back to his sides.

"What's new?" Cid said back flippantly, feeling a spark of sarcasm well up within him.

_Kill him, Vincent, or step aside and let me do it. We can't let him get away with the pain he's caused you, _Chaos said with glee in Vincent's mind.

The yelling going on had awoken L.C. and Aaron. They had left their room to see what was going on and Aaron opened the master bedroom door, instantly spotting his father.

Vincent's intended lunge at Cid was halted as his son ran in and threw his arms around him. This boy was the only thing that Vincent cared about even remotely now, and he couldn't savagely beat Cid to death in front of him.

"I knew you couldn't be dead!" Aaron cried, holding onto his father for all he was worth.

Vincent shot a deadly gaze at both Cid and Tifa before dropping to his knee to face his son. "No, I'm alive."

Aaron's prayers had been answered. "Dad…did you get Jaras?"

"Yes, your brother is fine."

The boy didn't know what else to say and he embraced Vincent again.

Vincent closed his eyes and held him, realizing that in a few moments, he was going to walk out of this house with absolutely no intent of ever returning.

Tifa and Cid stood there and watched on in silence. They both were keenly aware that Aaron had just unknowingly spared Cid's life. For a short time, everyone seemed afraid to move, fearing what would happen next.

Finally, Vincent stood back up, looking down upon his son. "I need to leave now."

Aaron's eyes filled with sadness. "Why? You just got home."

Vincent glanced over at Tifa. "Because your mother has made her choice, Aaron. I'll see you later."

The boy thought that he knew what his father meant, but he was instantly distraught and couldn't say anything as he started to cry.

Thanks to the chemical coursing through his veins, Vincent was able to tune out his son's breakdown. He gave Tifa and Cid one last menacing look and then he strode from the room.

Tifa and the pilot didn't move at first, and then when they did, it was Tifa grabbing the red cloak that was still lying upon the bed and running after Vincent, Cid following in pursuit.

Vincent was in the kitchen, just about to open the back door when he heard Tifa behind him. "Vincent, wait!"

He growled deep in his throat and then turned back to face her. "What?"

She held the cloak out to him. "Take this. Reno brought it back the other day."

Vincent's eyes burned right through her as he reached out and tore his cloak from her hands. Had he not thought that his gun had been lost on the mission, he would have asked for that, too.

Tifa saw him again turn toward the door, obviously ready to go and have no further discussion with her. She couldn't just let him walk out of her life like this. "Vincent, I'm sorry! I had a dream the other night where you saw Cid and I, and you told me that I'd broken your heart."

Once more, Vincent hesitated and then he turned around to face her. He threw the cloak down onto the nearby counter and then grabbed the front of his shirt, pulling upon it, and the snaps that held it closed gave way, exposing his chest. "Luckily for you, I don't have one to break anymore, Ms. Lockheart."

Tifa's eyes went wide as she saw what had been done to him. Here she'd been, trying to start some sort of life with Cid, while Vincent had been cut open and toyed with in some dark Shinra lab-- living out his greatest fear again. The fact that he had just addressed her like he had, let her know that Vincent had also made a choice. "I'm sorry, Vincent."

Cid stood back in the entrance to the kitchen, not willing to get between them, but remaining by close enough to intervene if needed.

Vincent was finished here, there was nothing more that he wanted to do other than kill Cid, and with his son in the house, he couldn't.

_I guess killing him would land us in some trouble that would preclude us from finishing our mission anyway, Vincent._ Chaos began to settle down.

After one more glance at the two people before him, Vincent turned, grabbed his cloak and threw open the door. He disappeared out into the storm, running for the helicopter.

Cid, relieved that Vincent was gone, came forward and slammed the door shut before turning to Tifa. "Are you okay?"

She was shaking terribly, and all the color was gone from her face. It had been a long time since she'd been this afraid. "Cid…you realize that he was going to kill you, right?"

He nodded at her and placed his hands upon her shoulders. "Yeah, I know."

They heard a door slam within the house and realized that Aaron had just locked himself back in his room with L.C.

"I just don't understand…" Tifa whispered, going over and sitting in a kitchen chair. "He's alive…Cid, if I'd known he was alive…"

"Yeah…" He felt a little heartache of his own. She had only turned to him because Vincent was supposedly gone. Despite having been there for her for all of those years and talking to her when Vincent had shut her out, he was still in second place and now that Vincent was alive, that's where he would be again. "So I guess that's the end of us."

Tifa knit her brow and looked at him. "Cid, he has no intention of ever being with me again. Vincent and I are finished. I would have thought that would've been a little obvious after what just happened."

Cid looked down at his hands. He wasn't so sure. Even if Vincent had no intention of coming back, he honestly believed that Tifa would now spend her time sitting around depressed, longing for her husband to return. Resolving that he had to back off and let Tifa tell him what they were going to do from here on out, Cid slowly walked out of the kitchen and went back to the guestroom. He was going to cry and he sure as hell didn't want her to see. _Why couldn't you have just stayed dead, Sunshine? I only got to have her for two days…just two fucking days…the best two days of my life._

Suddenly, Cid's resolve to fight his disease dwindled.

---------

Vincent got back into the chopper and sat, staring down at the cloak in his hands. Thanks to Tifa having taken a few naps with it draped across her, it was permeated with her scent, something that didn't help Vincent's present state of mind. Even though it'd been less than an hour since his last dose, Vincent reached down and pulled out the small black case from his pocket.

He looked up, seeing that Brad was absorbed in flying through the storm and not paying any attention to what his lone passenger was doing. Feeling that he could get away with it, Vincent placed the black case beside him and pushed up the left sleeve of his shirt. Once it was high enough, he twisted the fabric of the sleeve as to put pressure on his bicep, and pinned it between his body and arm. There was already a syringe in the case loaded with the appropriate amount of the ferium and he picked it up. He figured that keeping a syringe ready like this was a good idea, since he wasn't sure how accurate his dosing would be in the midst of withdrawal symptoms if he let it get to that point.

He brought the syringe up to his mouth, and pulled the cap from the needle with his teeth. Able to see his vein easily thanks to his fair complexion, Vincent quickly lined up the needle and carefully pushed it into his vein. There was a small red flash within the syringe as his blood back flowed until he let his arm relax and his shirt sleeve fell loose, no longer acting as a tourniquet. He then slowly injected the syringe's contents into his bloodstream, and felt the ferium wash over him. Vincent pulled the needle from his vein and dropped the used syringe into the seat next to him, then quickly placing some pressure over where he'd just injected himself to spare his vein from bruising as much as possible.

Vincent closed his eyes and enjoyed the moment of all it was worth. Overdosed from injecting himself twice now within an hour, absolutely all of his feelings were wiped from him and he began to feel a little dizzy. The truth was, he hoped that two doses this close together would kill him.

Chaos came to attention as he felt Vincent begin to lose consciousness. _What are you doing, Vincent?_

Shut up and let me rest, Vincent thought in return, beginning to feel light.

_We've been over this before. I don't want you to die. _Chaos realized that Vincent needed a good amount of adrenaline pumped into his system quickly.

_I've got nothing to live for. I've had the woman I love leave me, and I'm addicted to something that's letting both some Shinra fuck and you to control me. Why shouldn't I? I killed an ASRIO agent the other day and didn't feel a God damned bit of remorse for it. _Vincent slumped over in his seat as his body went out of his control.

_You didn't feel remorse for killing that plant, no. You felt _good._ Are you really that afraid to be yourself again? You used to kill all the time, need I remind you, and you _loved _it. Pulling the trigger for you is damn near as good as sex, and you know it. _Chaos geared up for a bid for power. Even though he couldn't take over Vincent's body anymore, the seizure that he could cause would get the adrenaline flowing.

Vincent was unaware that his right arm was drawing up over his chest as it always did before a seizure. _Leave me alone, Chaos. I'm done with this, all of it._

No, you're not.

Thanks to the ferium, Vincent didn't realize that he was going to have a seizure until it began. Since he hadn't strapped himself into the seat in the helicopter, he fell to the floor of it, his body flailing and his consciousness momentarily fading out.

The noise of the machine covered up the sounds Vincent made, and Brad went on blissfully unaware that his passenger was seizing.

Chaos let the seizure carry on as long as Vincent's body could take it. Finally, after about fifteen minutes, Vincent quit flailing, and opened his eyes, finding himself staring up at the ceiling of the chopper. He was gasping for breath, and was well aware of what had happened. _Damn him._

Vincent pulled himself back into his seat and looked over, seeing that his ferium kit was still out in the open. Not wanting anyone to know of his new vice, he put it back together and slipped it into his pocket. He still felt a little strange physically from the considerable amount of the opiate in his blood, but he was in no danger of dying at present.

---------

Tifa sat in the kitchen for a long time, debating what to do. After awhile, she got up and went to Aaron's room and peeked inside. L.C. was sleeping on the floor, already having gotten over the drama of the evening, but Aaron was sitting upon his bed in the darkness.

Tifa motioned for him to come on out and she took him to the kitchen. After she had her son situated in his chair, she went over and made him a cup of hot chocolate and then sat that in front of him. She landed in her seat across the table from him. "Aaron, are you all right?"

He took a sip of his drink and narrowed his eyes at her. "Do you think I'm all right?"

Inwardly, Tifa cringed. This boy never let her forget for even a moment who his father was. He presently had Vincent's same biting edge to his voice. "Please don't talk to me like that, Aaron."

The boy diverted his gaze from her and took another sip before saying anything. "Sorry."

"It's okay, I know you're upset." Tifa offered him a fleeting smile. "I know all of this has been really hard on you."

He edited his response to this, not wishing to get in trouble. "Yeah."

"It looks like things between your father and I just aren't going to work out." Tifa found it hard to keep from crying. "So he and I aren't going to be together anymore."

The cruelty of being told his father was dead one day, then finding out he was alive only to lose him like this was a little more than the boy could bear. Something snapped within him, but he hid it well. "Fine."

"There won't be anymore fighting, Aaron. That's better, right?" Tifa asked.

"It'll be different." As much as he loved his father, he was sick of the constant stress and arguing. Still, part of him felt that Cid was going to take all of his mother's attention, and he felt a subtle animosity beginning to well up within him for both the pilot and his son.

Tifa sat in silence until Aaron had finished his drink. "Ready to go back to bed?"

The stress that Aaron had been through was enough to overcome his emotional upset and he was tired. "Yeah."

She smiled at her son as he got up from the table and started toward his room.

Aaron stopped for a moment and looked back over his shoulder. "Hey Mom?"

"What?"

He knit his brow and looked down at the floor. "I'll get to see him though, right?"

Tifa nodded. There was no way that she would keep Aaron from his father-- unless he did something that made her fear for her son's safety. "He loves you, Aaron. I'm not going to keep you from seeing him."

"Okay." He seemed to accept this answer and slowly went back to bed.

She remained in the kitchen alone for a few more minutes, before getting up and going to the guestroom. The door was unlocked and she slipped in. What Tifa saw made her stop dead in her tracks.

Cid was awake, sitting on the edge of the bed. He had been crying, and in doing so, had made himself cough severely. The bed and floor around him was littered with blood stained tissues as each bout of coughing brought up more red fluid. He turned his eyes to her, wishing now that he'd locked the door.

Tifa was horrified by what she saw and she came to his side and sat, placing an arm around his shoulders. "Cid? Are you okay?"

He didn't even have the will left to lie. "No."

"You're coughing up blood! Do you need to go the hospital?" Tifa motioned at all of the bloodied tissues around them.

"No." Cid turned his eyes to the ground. In his heartbroken state, he made no attempt to put forth his usual attitude.

"Cid, I'm really worried about you." Tifa wasn't immediately willing to accept his refusal for help.

"Just leave me alone, Tiff." He reached up and pushed her arm from him. Having her touch him was just making it all worse for him. "If I can't have you, then I can't stay here anymore…"

Tifa raised her eyebrows. "Cid? Vincent is _gone_! He and I are _through_! Yes, I'm a little thrown by what happened tonight and the fact that he's alive, but it doesn't change what's happening between us!"

He just couldn't accept this from her, after watching her behavior over the years. "You won't let go of him…"

Tifa knew that when it came to Cid, he was the kind of guy that gave actions more credit than words. She was fully aware of his doubts, and she was willing to prove him wrong. She placed her hand against his cheek and forced him to look at her. "Cid, I'm with you now. Get it through your head, okay?"

The pilot offered her one weak smile, but said nothing.

"Cid, I'm not going to just throw you away because Vincent's still alive!" Tifa felt a small flare of anger as she knew Cid wasn't hearing a word she said. "Remember earlier when you said that I hadn't joked around or laughed in years until now? Well, that's because I'm with you! Vincent took that away from me, and you gave it back. I need you to believe me, Cid."

He sighed heavily and grabbed her wrist, pulling her hand from his cheek. "It's late, Tiff. Go to bed and get some sleep."

"I'm not going anywhere."

Cid turned slightly so could face her full on. "What are you doing?"

"I intend to spend tonight with the man I love." Tifa placed her hand upon his leg. "After what we went through tonight, there is absolutely no way I'm going to sleep alone."

Cid cracked and let the left side of his mouth pull up. "Really?"

"Yeah, we're going back to my room, locking the door, crawling into bed and going to sleep." Tifa stood up and held out her hand to him.

Not being accustomed to getting ordered around, Cid actually broke into a full smile. He went ahead and took her hand, letting her lead him from the room.

They settled into Tifa's bed. She lay down on her side, and Cid went ahead and spooned up against her back, draping his arm over her as he liked to do.

In the darkness, Cid asked, "What about the boys? If I stay in here, they might figure something out."

"You get up before anyone else, Cid. Worse comes to worse, you can crawl out the window." Tifa almost laughed at the notion. Part of her felt like a teenager again, sneaking her lover into her room.

Cid nuzzled into the back of her neck, sending a shiver down her spine. Quietly he said, "You sure are ticklish, Tiff."

She giggled. "I know."

The fact that she was able to be this light despite what had just happened a while before hinted to him that maybe she really was over Vincent, and committed to him. Not having finished their encounter that Vincent had interrupted, Cid felt himself stir again. He pressed his body against Tifa's a little closer.

Tifa felt this and knew that he was again in the mood. "Go ahead."

Cid closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "After what just happened, I think you need to think about it long and hard…no pun intended."

She outright laughed. "Cid!"

He couldn't help but smile in response. "Seriously."

Tifa reached back between their bodies and touched him. "I don't have to think about it at all."


	11. Chapter 11

No, kiddies. There is no such drug as ferium. I made it up…maybe I should be a drug lord…

Just say no, m'kay?

Chapter Eleven

Peirte sat at his computer in his office, watching the surveillance recordings from Vincent's home. He got to the part where Vincent had returned, and leaned closer to the screen, eager to see what his new toy was going to do. He flipped to the camera in the bedroom, and thanks to the night vision that the camera was capable of, he saw Cid and Tifa having sex. Dr. Methius wondered just how bad things were about to get when Vincent inevitably caught them.

He watched as Vincent went back to the bedroom and slipped inside, going over to the edge of the bed, close to the other two. When they spotted him and gave their terrified reactions, Peirte squealed with laughter, amused.

_If the ferium is controlling Vincent properly, he should be able to keep from killing the pilot so that he can finish the mission I've sent him on_, Peirte thought as he examined the scene. _Then again, this does look pretty bad. Poor man was only gone for a few days. Some wife he had there._

The scene unfolded, and words were passed between those present. Peirte's eyes went wide as he realized that Vincent was preparing to attack Cid. _No, come on! You should have better control than that, Mr. Valentine!_

The door to the room opened and Aaron ran in, halting Vincent's intended attack.

Methius examined the scene closely. Apparently, Vincent was still capable of feeling on some level, as demonstrated by both his intent to kill Cid, and then by his reluctance to do so in front of his son. Vincent's feelings for the boy clearly overrode whatever else was still capable of seeping through the drug's haze. _Good, you still have a weakness to exploit should it become needed. The addiction to ferium keeps most in line, but you're far from being like most, aren't you? That boy better hope that you do as told, so that I don't have to bring him into the equation. Then again, he's as good as dead anyway. Once we get that list of people that have anything to do with ASRIO, your wife's name will be on it, and I'm never one to leave orphans behind._

-------------------

After his overdose and seizure, Vincent had made his way to the cockpit, wanting to know how much longer they had to go until setting back down.

"Not long," Brad had simply replied.

Vincent sat down in the copilot's seat for a moment.

Brad motioned over to him to put on the headset.

Vincent complied.

"What in the hell happened back at the house? I was thinking that you were going to come out and tell me to go home, not go back with me." Brad glanced over at him, seeing the stress on Vincent's face.

"My wife isn't my wife anymore." Vincent crossed his arms over his chest.

"What?"

"She's involved with Cid." Vincent met the pilot's stare. "Hence, I'm going back to the base."

Brad couldn't believe that his old buddy was carrying on an affair with this man's wife. "No shit?"

Vincent shook his head. "No, and it stays between you and I. Understand?"

"Sure thing." Brad was in shock.

Vincent pulled off the headset and went back to his previous seat. He didn't feel much like talking.

When the helicopter landed back at the ASRIO base, Vincent slowly got out of it, wanting no more than to get inside and into bed. Reno was out on the airfield, however, despite the fact it was close to three in the morning.

The ASRIO leader came up to Vincent. Brad had radioed ahead, saying that Vincent was returning with him. Reno knew that this could only mean that things back home for Vincent were bad as suspected, and he was determined to get answers. "Vinny?"

Vincent glanced over at him with a slack expression.

Reno saw the stress in the way Vincent was carrying himself, even if his face lacked emotion. "Come on, let's go inside."

He followed his son-in-law down into the base and toward his room. Vincent pulled out his room key and unlocked the door. He went and landed on the edge of the bed.

Reno flipped on the light and froze. In the darkness of the outdoors, he hadn't gotten a real appreciation of what Vincent presently looked like. His complexion was ashy and he seemed to be drenched with sweat. Vincent's pupils were pinpoints, despite having just been in the dark. "What the fuck happened to you?"

His overdose a few hours before on the chopper had left him physically exhausted, compounded by what he'd gone through with Tifa and Cid. "I just want to go to bed."

Reno came over and sat next to him. "Look, I know that something's wrong back home. I figured out at least that much before. You coming back here instead of stayin' home with Tifa pretty much confirmed it. Vinny, you can tell me what's going on."

Knowing that he was going to inevitably betray the man next to him, Vincent felt like he should begin distancing himself from the ASRIO leader as much as possible, however, telling Reno what had happened would gain him more sympathy. That could be useful, and it would give a viable excuse as to any change in his behavior. "Tifa and I have been having some trouble, you're right."

"What happened?" Reno asked, satisfied that he was getting to the bottom of it.

"When Angel and I went on our last trip to Wutai, Cid came over and Tifa cheated on me." Vincent hung his head. It wasn't that hard to portray himself in heartache, since he really did feel some measure of pain.

Reno's eyes went wide. "Are you shitting me?"

Vincent just shook his head. "I just found that out before leaving to come here. Then tonight when I went home, I walked into the house and found Tifa and Cid going at it again."

For a rare moment, Reno was speechless. He had a compulsion to make an inappropriate comment about how he wished he'd known Tifa was playing the field, but he managed to edit himself. "Oh…"

_Good, Vincent. Now, use it to your advantage. _Chaos was setting the trap.

Vincent turned his head so he could look at Reno. "I have nothing to go home for, Reno. Can I stay here?"

Reno nodded. "As long as you like, sure thing."

"And, I'm hoping that you can give me something to do, to try and keep my mind off of things." Vincent forced a feeble smile.

"Yeah, actually, I'm always in need of help around here. You're someone I can trust right off the bat and give clearance to get into the computer system…if you don't mind a desk job, that is." Reno was in need of pencil pushers, and finding new help and then screening them for clearance was a huge pain in the ass that could be avoided with Vincent. After all, he was family.

_Perfect._

Vincent reached out his hand and placed it upon Reno's shoulder in a false display of gratitude. "I'd really appreciate that, and a desk job sounds really nice after all that I've been through."

Reno smiled. What he'd just learned about what had happened between Vincent, Tifa, and Cid broke his heart. The fact that Cid had gotten together with Tifa didn't sit well with the ASRIO leader. He and the pilot have never gotten along very well at all and he, like Vincent, found him generally to be a stubborn bastard. "God damned Cid. Fucking figures he'd do something like that. I remember the way he and Tifa were all buddy-buddy back when you and she were here. It always bothered me a little, especially when you were lying in that hospital bed, unable to tell him to back the hell off. Vinny, I'm really sorry."

"Thanks." Vincent hung his head again. While it wasn't proving that hard to manipulate Reno, Angel would be a different story, and he realized that he was not willing to face her with all of this. "It might be a good idea for us to not tell Angel about this for now. Maybe we can tell her that I'm staying to make sure that Jaras is going to be all right or some such thing. You know, just in case Tifa comes around and she and I reconcile, I don't want Angel upset about this whole affair if it can be avoided."

Sparing his wife such pain was something Reno was willing to participate in. "Sure thing, Vinny. If you decide to tell her, that's your business. I won't go over that line, okay?"

Chaos forced Vincent to smile in his satisfaction about how easy this had been. "That would be great, Reno. It really would."

"No problem." Reno got up from the bed and reached down, patting Vincent on the back for a moment. "Get some sleep and we'll figure out what to do with you in the morning."

Vincent just nodded, continuing to smile._ Too fucking convenient. You're an idiot, Reno. A trusting idiot._

-------------------

Sephiroth found himself alone, as Jeanine had gone out to lunch with Dr. Arlin. Not knowing what else to do, he left his room and went to go see Vincent. He knocked on the door, and eventually his father answered. "Hey."

"Are you alone?" Sephiroth asked, already knowing the answer.

Vincent, having just given himself yet another dose of the drug, was somewhat slow to respond. "Yeah, come in."

Sephiroth did as ordered, going forward and then landing on the couch. He watched as Vincent came over and sat on the bed, after locking the door. "So, what happened last night after you went to see Tifa?"

Vincent gazed back at him coldly. "I walked in on her and Cid. I just left after that. End of story."

He raised his eyebrows. Having been told of Tifa's infidelity in the lab, he wasn't surprised at what Vincent had seen, but he was a little shocked to hear that Vincent hadn't killed the other man outright. Sephiroth, not knowing the details, just figured that the ferium had erased his father's emotions to that extent. That was frightening, and it meant that Vincent was most likely going to comply with Dr. Methius' order completely.

During the time Sephiroth had spent with Jeanine, he'd come to appreciate that his depth of feeling for the woman was just as strong as it had ever been. He was also aware that if he went back to Peirte and received more injections of Jenova, that he would change more and either potentially lose his love for her, or become blatantly someone who was not Jaras. This thought had cut through him. Even though he literally craved the power that Dr. Methius could grant him, he wasn't steadfastly committed to it anymore. Jeanine meant that much to him.

Because of this, he was no longer certain that he wanted to carry on with the mission they'd been given. Besides, Sephiroth knew good and well that Jeanine, being his wife and known to ASRIO, would be on any list of contacts that ASRIO possessed. Power hungry or not, setting Shinra's dogs loose to kill the woman he loved was not an option for him. But if Vincent was this cold, this emotionless, then confessing his reservations to his father would do no more than turn Vincent against him. Only by keeping on Vincent's side, or at least seeming to, could Sephiroth potentially keep Vincent from ratting him out. Because when push came to shove, he was very much aware that Reno would take Vincent's word over his.

He suddenly felt trapped and he didn't like it. Sephiroth had to find a way to stop Vincent, but was starting to feel like the only way to do so was going to be to kill him, and that would be messy.

Vincent narrowed his eyes as Sephiroth slipped into a protracted silence. There was something serious on his son's mind. "What are you thinking?"

Sephiroth snapped out of his pensive state and looked back at his father. "Nothing important."

"You're lying."

He flipped his silver hair over his shoulder and leaned back into the couch. "I believe the ferium is altering your perception. I have nothing to hide from you."

Sephiroth could be right about this. Vincent was physically feeling a little unwell, and it was entirely possible that the way he was processing information from the world around him was off. "Perhaps."

"Is the incision on your chest healing?" Sephiroth asked, needing to change the subject.

Unconsciously, Vincent reached up and touched his shirt where it ran over the wound. "Slowly."

Sephiroth saw a small glimmer of possibility. "You know, the ferium could be affecting the way you're recovering from the surgery. Although I know that it keeps you from feeling any pain, and I know it would hurt, it does alter other functions of your body. It might be worth while to reduce how much of it you're taking until you have recuperated."

He hoped that Vincent would consider this advice. If he came far enough out of the ferium's haze, Sephiroth supposed he might be able to safely talk Vincent out of the mission.

Vincent shook his head. The ferium would not permit him to reduce the frequency of his doses. His addiction was all encompassing and he was at the mercy of the drug. Besides, cutting back, were it possible, would make him feel his heartache over Tifa, and that would be far worse than this mode of existence. "That's not going to happen. As long as it heals, I couldn't care less how slow it goes. Besides, if you had any idea what the ferium makes you feel like when you're coming down from it, you would never conceive of suggesting such a thing."

__

It was worth a shot, Seph, he thought to himself as he continued to consider his father before him. Maybe he could find another way to stop Vincent. "Do you have any idea how you're going to go about getting the list for Dr. Methius?"

Vincent actually smiled, remembering how easily his plan had fallen into place. "I do."

"Well?"

"I spoke with Reno last night, and told him that I planned to stay here for a while since I can't go home to Tifa. I asked him if I could possibly have a job here to keep myself distracted from my so-called pain and he said yes. He's giving me a desk job from the sounds of it, and he's giving me clearance to get into the computer system since he believes that he can _trust_ me." Vincent felt Chaos roll over within him, laughing.

This was not what Sephiroth wanted to hear. "I see."

"Once I have that clearance, I will find a way to smuggle the needed information out of this base and get it to Dr. Methius." Vincent looked down at the floor before him, knowing that he should feel bad about this traitorous act, but there was nothing. "It's easy."

"And the fact that Shinra is going to kill everyone on that list, save perhaps you, Spencer, and I, is all right with you?" Sephiroth asked, searching for any negative reaction.

Vincent turned his blank eyes up to his son. "What concern is it of mine?"

"Have you not become attached to some of those working here? What about my sister, for instance?" Sephiroth himself didn't particularly care about Angel as it was, but Vincent was her father and had seemed very protective of her.

The former Turk stared at the floor again. He had loved his daughter dearly, but that had been before the ferium. Now, the only person who he still had any concern for was Aaron, and that was only because he was a small child-- his small child. "What of her? She knew the risks of staying here and getting involved in this organization. As long as Shinra makes it quick and they don't take her into a lab for any kind of experimentation, what do I care?"

Sephiroth knew that Vincent was wondering why he had asked such a thing, and he realized that he needed to cover his tracks. "Good. That's what I was hoping you'd say. If I had to call into question your resolve to see Dr. Methius' mission through, I would have to kill you and finish it myself. Having you makes it far easier than it would be for me alone."

Vincent managed a smile. "You need not worry yourself about my commitment to this, Sephiroth."

__

And that's the problem entirely, Sephiroth thought silently.

-------------------

Jeanine and Janice sat in a small diner in Costa del Sol. They'd finished their lunches, and just sat talking.

"You must be elated that Jaras is home, I would imagine," Dr. Arlin said, after sipping at her coffee.

"You have no idea. Janice, I was so scared I'd never seen him again! All I could do was sit around and wonder what sorts of horrible things they were doing to him. Jaras is so quiet and gentle… he didn't deserve that." Jeanine felt a lump come up in her throat.

"Has he been able to tell you what they did to him?" Janice asked, curious.

Jeanine shrugged. "A little. I know that they tried re-infecting him with Jenova, but it didn't take I guess, because he has so much Mako still coursing through him. The worst thing for him, though, was the treatment he received from the SOLDIERs that captured him as they took him to the lab. It was awful."

"I'm really sorry to hear that. Is he going to be all right?" Dr. Arlin knew how sensitive Jaras was, and how much this had probably disturbed him.

Nodding shallowly, Jeanine replied, "I think he'll be okay in the long run. He's been through a lot in his life and he's strong from it, but he is a little…different for now."

"Different?"

"Yeah," she sighed, staring down at her empty lunch plate. "The way he's speaking and acting. I mean, for the most part he's the same, but there are some subtle changes from what I got used to over the last several years."

Knowing that Jeanine was the specialist in the area of mental well being, Janice asked, "What do you think it means?"

"Undoubtedly most of it's just due to the fact that he went through such a terrible thing. He's admitted to me that it brought up all of his old memories as Sephiroth again, which accounts for some of it I'm sure." Her expression fell. "But when we start talking about anything other than he and I, I don't know, he gets weird."

"How so?"

"Well, it's like he doesn't really care for anyone else anymore. He treats me just fine, but when we start to talk about Vincent or even Angel, Jaras just seems a little detached. It's like he just doesn't care about them all that much. There's just a certain blankness in his expression, and there is a lack of concern in his words about them." Jeanine shook her head. "I don't know, he's only been back for two days, maybe I'm reading too much into it."

"Or maybe you're so close to him that you're not reading enough into it, Jeanine." Dr. Arlin pushed her glasses up. "I'm not a shrink like you, but I do know that seeing what's going on with people that you're as close to as you are to Jaras is sometimes hard."

Jeanine looked thoughtful. "Yeah."

"You're sure that he really is Jaras, right?" Janice asked, leaning forward. "You don't suppose that the Jenova _did_ take, and that he's just been putting on an act for everyone so that Vincent would get him out of the lab, right?"

This pained something within Jeanine-- it was not a possibility she was willing to consider. "If they had really made him back into Sephiroth, he wouldn't care about me anymore, either I'd think, but he does."

Janice would just have to bow to the other woman's superior knowledge on this. "But if you ever started to have any doubts, you'd let someone like me know, right? I don't want you getting hurt. I know I don't need to remind you of the things that Sephiroth was capable of."

"I know and trust me, if I did start to doubt him, you and Reno would be the first ones to know." Jeanine reached over and picked up the bill, before throwing the appropriate amount of money onto the table. The thought that the man that she had been with for the last two days could be Sephiroth seemed almost laughable. Another thought crossed Jeanine's mind, and she chuckled to herself quietly.

Dr. Arlin looked over at her. "What's that about?"

"Nothing, it was really inappropriate." Jeanine continued to giggle.

"I have to know now."

Jeanine smiled over at her friend. "Just that if he is Sephiroth…I'm not going to complain about the sex."

Janice herself snickered. "It's been good, huh?"

Jeanine winked at the other woman and got up. "Oh yeah."

-------------------

Despite recent events, Tifa felt that she needed to restore some sense of normalcy in Aaron's life and so she'd taken him to school that morning. Now, she, Cid, and L.C. sat at the bus stop waiting for the boy to be dropped back off.

L.C. was sitting outside of the car, playing on the side of the road while Tifa and Cid remained in the front seats of the vehicle, keeping an eye on the pilot's son.

"Tiff?"

She turned to him. "Yeah?"

Cid knit his brow and looked out the window. "I'm gonna have to find a new doctor around here to go to."

She hung her head and sighed. Thinking about his terminal illness was something that she'd been trying to avoid. The fact that he'd just said such a thing instantly told her that he wasn't feeling well, and he had seemed worse off. "Are you okay?"

Cid shrugged, remembering all the blood he'd coughed up the night before. He'd not done that prior to yesterday. "I just need to keep on top of this as much as possible, that's all. I'd like to keep going as long as I can, you know."

"Okay. I can call the doctor Vincent--" she stopped for a moment, shocked that his name had so easily crossed her lips, "used to see and get a recommendation of an oncologist from her." Tifa offered him a weak smile.

Knowing that this had just depressed her, Cid reached over and placed a hand on her knee. "It's okay, Tiff. Don't look so down."

Her response was halted as the school bus rattled up next to the car and came to a stop. The door opened and Aaron disembarked. L.C. ran up to the other boy excitedly, but Aaron seemed to blow him off for the time being and just made his way to the car, then climbing into the back seat.

Tifa looked back at her son, while L.C. got in as well. "How was school?"

Aaron set his backpack onto the seat between he and the other boy, then crossing his arms over his chest. "Fine."

_He's never going to let you forget his father, not even for a moment, _Tifa thought, forcing herself to smile. "What did you do?"

He ran a hand through his dark tresses and narrowed his eyes. "Nothing."

Resolving that conversation with her son was a lost cause for the time being, Tifa faced forward and looked over at Cid. "Let's go head toward town so we can take the boys somewhere fun for dinner."

He turned on the ignition and pulled them back onto the road, heading toward Kalm. "Sounds good."

-------------------

Spencer had locked himself into the bathroom of the room he and his brother shared. He'd been trying to inject himself with more of the ferium for well over half an hour now, but he was having terrible luck. Not being skilled in this area at all, he'd already blown all of the veins on his left arm, and now he sat trying to give himself the shot in his right arm, using his left hand in what was proving to be pathetically awkward attempt.

It had been a long time since his previous dose, and withdrawal was starting to set in. He was shaking now, not helping his situation. Had Spencer been thinking clearly, he would have gone to Vincent's room and sought his help, but that was not to be.

Spencer made another stab at his arm, searching for his elusive vessel, but missed once more and hit a nerve, causing him to groan in misery. Things just weren't working for him as they should.

Quigley was presently in the room. He hadn't been here when his brother had initially gone in to shoot up, but he'd returned ten minutes ago. When he heard Spencer's pained cry, he went over to the bathroom door. "Spence? Are you okay?"

Through clenched teeth, he replied while trying to fish for his vein with the now dulled needle. "I'm…all right…Quig."

He knew good and well that his brother _wasn't _all right, and he grew afraid. "Spence, open the door."

"No, just go away." Spencer grew frustrated and pulled the syringe away from his arm, then hurling it over toward the sink. The pain that was quickly overtaking his body was driving him mad.

When Quigley heard something go flying in the bathroom, he decided that enough was enough. He through his weight against the door, popping the lock. As the door flew open, Quigley's eyes went wide.

Spencer was sitting on the floor, leaning up against the shower door. There was a belt strapped around his upper right arm, and trails of blood ran down it from his failed injection attempts. The young man was drenched with sweat and trembling terribly.

Quigley couldn't quite comprehend what he was seeing. His brother had always been fanatical about his health and body, and the fact that he was sitting here, seemingly trying to take some drug just seemed unnatural. He went over and knelt at his brother's side. "Spence, what are you doing?"

Desperate for any relief, Spencer pointed over at the sink. "Grab the syringe. You know how to give injections."

Quigley looked into the sink, seeing the syringe lying within, containing an unmistakable blue substance. He turned back to his brother and put his hands on his shoulders, shaking him slightly. "Ferium! You've been shooting up ferium!"

Spencer tried to push Quigley away, seeing that he wasn't going to help. "Never mind, I'll do it myself!"

Normally, Quigley was no match for his brother physically, but thanks to the withdrawal pains, the ASRIO researcher was easily able to push his brother right back down. "You're not doing any such thing!" Quigley looked over and saw the vial of ferium sitting on the floor next to his brother's leg. He picked it up. "Stay here, I'm getting the doctor. She can help you, Spence."

"You don't understand!" Spencer was crazed with the thought of being denied his fix. "Quig, you have to let me have it!"

"No!" Quigley got up. "Stay here!"

Spencer, too weak in his current state, slumped over onto the floor, writhing in agony.

Quigley ran to the infirmary and threw open the door. Dr. Arlin was within, having just returned from her lunch with Jaras' wife. "Janice!"

Not accustomed to seeing this man in anything resembling panic, the doctor came over to him quickly. "What is it, Quigley?"

He held up the vial he'd picked up from his brother's side. "Spence has been taking this and he's having withdrawals back in our room!"

Janice snagged the unlabeled vial from the man's hand. She recognized it easily enough. There were few injectable drugs out there this color. "Ferium?"

"I think so." Quigley was eager to get back to Spencer's side. "He needs your help."

Dr. Arlin knew that there was close to a zero percent chance that anyone ever kicked ferium addiction. This was the cruelest drug on the street. The withdrawals alone could kill it's victims, assuming that they didn't just end their own lives first to escape the pain. "Go back to him right now, I'll be there in a moment."

Quigley nodded and then ran back to his room, finding Spencer much like he'd left him.

Janice grabbed her medical bag and quickly followed. She stopped at the intercom panel first and hit a button. "Kyle?"

After a few second delay, the man answered. "Dr. Arlin?"

"Meet me at Quigley's room and bring a gurney. Spencer's been chasing the blue dragon and he's in withdrawal." Dr. Arlin let go of the button and ran out of the infirmary.

Upon getting to Quigley's room, she found that the door was open and went in. From the bathroom she heard Quigley's voice and Spencer's cries and followed them to their source.

"Quigley, help me get him over to the bed," she ordered, setting her medical bag down for the moment.

The researcher did as ordered, and helped her drag his brother from the bathroom. Spencer was starting to convulse, making the job far more difficult. They got him laid out upon one of the two beds in the room, and Quigley struggled to hold his flailing brother down. "Janice, can you do anything for him?"

She was hastily taking Spencer's vital statistics as best she could under the circumstances. "For the most part, he's going to have to get through this part alone, Quigley. Anything that I give him right now will just be one more drug for his body to have to metabolize. He needs to detox, and that's something his body will have to manage through on its own. Once Kyle gets here, we'll take him to the infirmary and strap him down."

Spencer's eyes were wild in his misery, and he grasped at his brother. "Quig…I need more ferium! I'm dying!"

Janice interrupted. "You're not dying, Spencer. You're going through withdrawal. I know you feel horrible right now, but if you ride it out, you can get free of the drug."

Quigley looked at Dr. Arlin. "I've heard that addicts of ferium can die from their withdrawal symptoms, Janice. I can't lose my brother like that."

She met his gaze, herself well aware of how very nasty this drug was. "Giving it to him now would temporarily end his suffering, Quigley, but if he keeps taking it, I can guarantee you that he'll die. Letting him detox and then get off of it is the only chance that he's got. He's always been strong and if anyone can survive withdrawal, it's him."

The researcher wasn't particularly comforted by these words. He looked back down into his brother's pain stricken expression, his heart wrenched by the situation. "God damn it, Spence…why?"

"You had no idea of his addiction until just now?" Janice asked, wondering how long this had been going on.

"I never would have thought that he was on anything at all, Doctor." Quigley had never seen any signs of drug use in his brother before the mission. "He's always acted just fine. They say ferium takes away people's emotions, but he never acted strangely at all. The only thing that's been different about him has been that he's been a little quiet since the mission and his stay in the lab, but I figured that it was just a result of the fact he was recovering from the surgery he went though."

Janice locked into Quigley's gaze. "Since the mission?"

"Yes, before then I never would have suspected anything."

Dr. Arlin lost herself in thought for a moment. How Spencer could have gotten hooked on ferium while being held prisoner in that lab for those few days was beyond her, but she wondered if perhaps he had been given ferium to kill his pain, or as part of some cruel experiment. She realized that she needed to talk to Vincent.

Kyle finally arrived with the stretcher, and they managed to tie Spencer down to it before getting him to the infirmary. Once there, he was restrained in a hospital bed and started on intravenous fluids to help his hydration and flush his system. Quigley refused to leave his brother's bedside, no matter how bad things were going to get from the withdrawal.

Janice stood next to Kyle a short way off, exhausted from having fought to get Spencer situated. "I need to go talk to someone for a moment. Can you keep an eye on Spencer?"

Kyle nodded. "Sure thing."

"Good." She turned and walked out, heading toward Vincent's room.

Vincent was sitting staring at the television, although it was off. Freshly dosed with more ferium, he was just pleasantly spaced out. He never heard the first time that Janice knocked on the door, but the second time she did so he was pulled from his trance. "Come in."

Dr. Arlin opened the door and stepped into the room, spotting Vincent on the couch. She came over and sat beside him. She looked at Vincent's arms, wanting to see if there was any evidence of track marks, but as always, he was wearing a long sleeve shirt. "I need to talk to you about something very serious."

He did his best to put on a concerned expression. "Really?"

Janice took off her glasses and looked at him. "Quigley just caught Spencer shooting up ferium. He's in the infirmary now, going through the throes of withdrawal."

Vincent donned a look of confusion. "Ferium?"

"Do you know anything about it? Was he given ferium in the lab you two were held at?" Janice asked, leaning closer.

Vincent nodded shallowly. "He was given something for the pain he was in after waking up…but I don't know if it was whatever you just said."

"Ferium, Vincent." That he didn't seem to know what this was at least made Janice believe that he wasn't on it. She was slightly relieved. The fact that he was already battling to overcome his dependency on alcohol was bad enough. "We're you given anything for your pain?"

"No, I refused. I was too phobic to accept anything they offered, but Spencer begged for something to end his pain. The stuff they gave him was blue, that's about all I could tell you." Vincent was getting far too good at lying again.

"If it was blue, then it was ferium. Damn it." Janice hung her head and sighed.

Out of his own curiosity, Vincent asked. "So what's going to happen to him?"

"Honestly? Most likely he'll die." Janice looked up and met his gaze. "That's the worst thing about that drug. Either you keep taking it and it inevitably kills you through overdose or bodily run down, or you try and get off of it, most likely dying during the withdrawal or killing yourself to escape. As it stands at this moment, his chances are pretty slim."

Vincent had a thought. If Spencer was in such a predicament, there was a possibility that he'd blow the mission by revealing their plan. Forcing himself to seem concerned, Vincent asked, "Has Spencer said anything?"

Janice shook her head. "No, right now he's so miserable that all he can do is lie in the bed he's tied to and scream. If he makes it through tonight, then he'll probably go unconscious and stay that way for a few days. He's not going to say anything intelligible for a long time, if ever."

This relieved Vincent to some degree. "That's too bad. Tell Quigley that I'm sorry."

Janice got up from the bed, feeling that she'd gotten all she could from Vincent. "I will. I'll see you later, Vincent."

"Good bye, Doctor." Vincent gave her a polite smile.

Inside, Chaos was pleased. _You're doing this very well, Vincent. If I didn't live inside of you, I'd be downright terrified. I know what you're thinking of doing._

Vincent closed his eyes and moved to lie down upon the couch. _I can't risk him talking and ruining the mission. I've only got enough ferium to make it through three weeks. I need to get that information back to Peirte._

Did you hear what she said, though? Chaos had paid close attention to the doctor's words. _She said if you keep taking it, you'll die._

I'm not scared of death, Chaos. I'm scared of going through that withdrawal pain again. Vincent draped his arm over his eyes to block out the light.

Chaos growled. _We're in a lose-lose situation, Vincent. As much as I like you since you started taking ferium, the fact that we're almost sure to die from it is not a thought I'm fond of._

Well, perhaps after we do this and get the information Peirte asked for back to the lab, he might be able to do something to help us. Vincent hoped that completing the mission would earn him some points with the madman.

_I hope for our sake that you're right, Vincent._ Chaos settled back down and fell silent.

-------------------

It was close to eight-thirty when Brad finally made his way from the hanger and to the house he shared in town with his wife Lilly.

As always, she had dinner waiting for him on the table and she met him at the door. "I missed you last night."

He greeted her with a brief kiss and a swat on the rear. "Sorry about that. Reno had me go to Junon again."

She was used to her husband being called to duty and not making it home every night. "It's all right, let's go have dinner."

Brad followed her into the kitchen and landed in his chair, immediately helping himself to what she'd made for the evening.

Before sitting, she went to the fridge and retrieved her husband a beer. She, too, then started to fill her plate. "So, has anything interesting happened?"

He shrugged while flipping the top off of the bottle she'd given him. "Not really. That Vincent guy and his wife are on the outs, I guess. You're not gonna believe this, but I guess she's seeing Highwind now."

Lilly looked surprised. "Highwind? _Cid_ Highwind? Yikes."

He cocked an eyebrow at her. It had always amused Brad on some level that his old comrade had always been such a huge turn off to Lilly, even though he and Cid were so much alike. "Yeah, Cid."

She set her fork down and locked into his gaze. "Did you call him yet?"

Brad shook his head. He'd told his wife about Cid having cancer and that he intended to call him, but being socially just as backwards as the man in question, Brad hadn't actually committed to doing it yet. "No."

"Well, I think you ought to, O'Malley."

When she called him by his last name, he knew he was in the doghouse. "All right, after dinner."

Lilly had already reached back and grabbed the phone and was holding it toward him. "No, you'll call him _now_."

Huffing, he took the phone from her and pulled out his wallet, retrieving the piece of paper that Vincent had written his phone number on the day before. He supposed that Cid would still be there since he and Tifa were apparently involved. Brad dialed and then waited for an answer.

It was Tifa. "Hello?"

He recognized her voice. "Hey, it's Brad. I was hopin' that Highwind was around."

"Oh, hi Brad." Tifa smiled. She liked the chopper pilot-- then again, she just seemed to have a thing for pilots all around. "Just a sec, I'll get him."

Cid was sitting with the boys in the family room, watching television as was becoming their nightly ritual. When Tifa walked over holding the phone out to him, he knit his brow. "Who is it?"

"Brad." Tifa literally placed the phone in his hand.

Cid took a deep breath and got up from the couch, then leaving the room. If he was going to talk to Brad, then he wanted privacy. He stepped out onto the porch before putting the phone to his ear. "Hey, next time you're gonna bring someone by to walk into the house in the middle of the night, at least come in and say hello."

Brad laughed. "Hey, I'm glad I didn't from the sounds of it. Watchin' you nailing Vincent's wife is the last thing that I need to see."

Cid couldn't help it and laughed as well. "He told you, huh?"

"Naw, but you just gave it away from answering like that. I was joking." Brad was pleased to have just pulled the truth out of the other man in such a way.

__

Damn it, he's still smarter than me. Cid grinned. "Hey, at least I'm still capable of getting some, and with a younger woman, no less."

"Yeah, racking up married women isn't really something to be all that proud of, Highwind." Brad leaned back in his chair. Talking to Cid was always good, but he knew he had to get to the reason for the call. "So, uh, I was told something the other day about you."

"What's that?"

"I was told that you've got cancer." Brad picked up his beer and took a drink, feeling the pain of this statement tear through him.

Cid sat down on the porch steps and leaned up against the railing. "Sunshine spilled that, huh?"

"Yeah."

Cid knew that next to Tifa, Brad was the only one who'd care to know this news. "It's true, I do."

"I'm real sorry to hear that." Brad frowned, not relishing the idea of his friend meeting such an untimely fate.

"I know, it sucks." Cid looked out over the dark yard. "The doctor told me I've got a few months and really, I've been feeling pretty good except for a little coughing, but last night, I started coughing more and, not to be gross, there was blood."

Brad shuddered at the thought. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Yeah, find a cure for cancer and I'll buy you a drink," Cid laughed back, pushing through the depression.

"You bet." He was grateful that Cid was going to take the conversation in a lighter direction. "Well, I just sorta wanted to check in on you. Dinner's waiting for me."

"Yeah, okay. Talk to you later," Cid sighed. "Bye."

"Bye." Brad turned off the phone.

Cid stayed out on the porch, staring into the darkness. He thought for a few moments about the days he and Brad had spent in the service together and he found himself smiling.

The door to the house opened up and Tifa stepped out, coming over next to him and sitting. "What did Brad want?"

"Sue told him I have cancer, so he was just checking up on me." Cid set the phone down upon the porch behind him.

Tifa looked away, seeing a lightning storm off in the distance. Tonight was shaping up, weather wise, to be like the previous day. She didn't really want to dwell on Cid's condition. "I think it's going to rain again."

He knew what she was doing and decided to play along. "Yeah, I think so."

She looked over at him and smiled. "Cid?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you." She smiled.

Cid put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. "I love you, too. This is so damned weird."

Tifa laughed quietly. "I know, but it's okay, right?"

He gave her a quick kiss. "Yeah, it definitely is."

"It really did scare me last night when Vincent showed up. I mean, I'm glad that he's alive, but I thought for sure that he was going to kill both of us." Tifa rested her head against his shoulder.

Cid loved the way she felt against him. "Yeah, I was pretty scared, too. The only reason he backed off was Aaron."

"At least he's got some control over himself, I guess." Tifa closed her eyes.

"Luckily for us." Cid confessed something to her. "I was just so afraid that you were going to cut things off with me afterward…"

She moved back so she could look into his blue eyes. "Cid, I'm committed to you, and I'm going to see this out. Vincent being alive isn't going to change that. Like I've said a dozen times now, our marriage was over. Vincent would have to change a lot before I ever thought about getting back together with him."

__

Which is to say that on some level, you haven't completely written him off, Cid thought to himself.

Tifa saw his expression change. "What?"

Cid gave her a smile. "Nothing. We should get inside and check on the boys."

-------------------

After going to the cafeteria and forcing himself to eat, Vincent went to the infirmary. Once inside, he saw that Quigley was there with his brother who, for the moment, seemed to be unconscious. He went over and pulled up a chair next to the researcher's. "How is he doing?"

Quigley turned his exhausted eyes toward Vincent. "He's passed out finally. Poor Spence was screaming and crying most of the day."

"And you've been here the whole time?" Vincent asked, feigning concern.

Quigley nodded.

"The cafeteria is still open. You should go get something to eat before it closes, Quigley. I can stay with him while you do that." Vincent sounded sincere.

"All right." Quigley was thankful for this break in his vigil. "I won't stay away too long. I appreciate this, Vincent."

He smiled. "Think nothing of it."

Quigley shuffled out of the room and went to go get his dinner.

Vincent looked around, and saw that he was completely alone with the other man. He stood up and leaned over him. "Spencer?"

The other man slowly opened his eyes, and then closed them again. He was too spent from his day of misery to do anything more.

Vincent pulled a syringe from his pocket. It was loaded with a full milliliter of ferium, four times the dose that he and Spencer were on. He reached over and picked up the intravenous line going into Spencer's arm, delivering fluids to him. After finding the injection port on the line, Vincent quickly drove the needle of the syringe into it and pushed the ferium into the line. That done, he slipped the syringe back into his pocket and sat back down. Time would do the rest of the job.

As the drug was carried into Spencer along with the fluids he was receiving, the pain he was in faded and he felt a wonderful level of euphoria come over him. He sank into a deep sleep as the large overdose that Vincent had just given him ran through his veins.

Dr. Arlin had hooked Spencer up to a monitor earlier to keep track of the man's heart rate during his detoxification. As the number indicating Spencer's pulse began to drop, Vincent realized his mistake. The monitor would send an alert to Dr. Arlin once Spencer's heart beat dropped below a certain point, and he was close to it.

Vincent rose from his seat and quickly reached over, pulling the monitor's cable from the wall, disconnecting it from the line that would have carried the alert to Dr. Arlin's room. Less than a second later, the monitor began to signal as Spencer's heart rate dipped below forty. Vincent hit a button on the monitor, silencing it and he fell back into his seat again. He would call Janice and put on a good show for her, but not until he knew that Spencer was very much dead. If the doctor came in too quickly and realized that Spencer was dying of an overdose, not only would Vincent be revealed as a traitor, but Spencer could possibly be saved with injections of naloxone, making things far more complicated.

Vincent continued to watch Spencer as his complexion started to turn cyanotic. The man had already stopped breathing and it was just his heart that needed to give up. Five minutes later, Vincent reached out and felt the side of Spencer's neck, and found that there was no pulse. Now, it was time for Vincent to act.

He first reconnected the monitor to the wall and turned it back on, setting the machine's alarm blare off. Vincent then went and hit the intercom button.

Janice quickly responded. "What's going on? The monitor alarm is going off."

Doing his best to sound upset, Vincent replied. "I was sitting here watching Spencer while Quigley went to go eat, and the monitor just started to go off. I think he's dead. You better get here quickly."

Janice didn't reply and just ran out of her room, toward the infirmary. She threw open the doors and went to Spencer's side. The doctor could immediately tell by the color the other man had taken on that he was already severely hypoxic. She pulled over the emergency cart quickly and grabbed and endotracheal tube, getting it placed into Spencer within seconds.

Kyle had been alerted and he also ran it. Seeing what was going on, he hooked up a respiration device to the tube that Janice had placed in Spencer and began giving him breaths.

Janice got up onto the bed and started giving Spencer chest compressions after injecting a bolus of epinephrine into him. She performed CPR with fervor, but already knew that it was going to be pointless.

Quigley chose that moment to walk back in, and he stopped in the doorway when he saw the activity taking place around his brother. "What's going on?"

Vincent walked over to him. "I don't know, he just stopped breathing. The doctor is doing everything that she can."

Quigley felt tears in his eyes. "I shouldn't have left…"

_Come on, make it convincing, _Chaos urged.

Vincent placed his arm around Quigley's shoulders. "It would have happened either way."

Janice, after several minutes of trying, stopped chest compressions and looked over at Kyle. "Time of death, nine twenty-three."

Quigley heard this from where he was standing with Vincent and fell to his knees. "God no…"

_If only you could tell him not to worry, as he will be joining his brother after ASRIO gets that list, Vincent. _Chaos was reveling in this second murder, even more than that of Derek. _Two down, Vincent. How many more do you think we're going to have to kill before we get this job done?_

As many as it will take, Chaos, Vincent thought, as he watched Quigley come undone before him. _As many as it takes._


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

Chaos continued to revel in Spencer's death long after Vincent left the infirmary and Quigley's company. It got to the point of becoming more than a little annoying, and Vincent found himself needing to silence the demon. He walked out of the base and into town, going to the first bar that he came across.

Not wishing to be quieted, Chaos protested. _You're going to drink? Come on, Vincent. Don't do this._

I asked you to shut up, and you refused. I need to sleep tonight, and that isn't going to happen as long as you're carrying on. Vincent reached out and opened the door to the bar, going inside.

The demon was well aware that Vincent's alcoholism was nothing more than his attempt to cover his inner dialogue. _But Vincent, you promised Tifa that you wouldn't drink._

Yeah, and she promised me that she wouldn't sleep with Cid. Vincent landed at a dark table in the corner._ I'd say all bets are off._

_Touché. _Chaos knew that he wasn't going to dissuade his master from seeking the comfort of drunkenness. _But they did very little sleeping, from what we saw._

_Shut up. _Vincent scanned the scene as he waited for someone to come and take his order. Being this late, the only people that were in the bar were those embroiled in serious drinking or in search of something. He noticed a woman sitting at the bar staring at him, smiling. She was attractive, and he met her gaze for several moments before looking at the table before him.

Chaos noticed, too._ You know, if Tifa's screwing that pilot, I'd say that gives you free license to do as you so wish, too._

Vincent had never picked up anyone for a one-night stand. _No._

Emotionless from the ferium or not, you're still a man, Vincent. You could use a good fuck. It would take your mind off of things for a little while, in any event. Chaos almost seemed to be begging. When Vincent did things, the demon felt them, and if there was anything that Chaos liked aside from killing, it was sex.

_Spare me, Chaos._

Chaos laughed. _Too late, look up._

Vincent did as told and saw that the woman had come over to his side. He knit his brow as he examined her. She was just as attractive up close as she had been from afar. "Can I help you?"

She laughed and touched his shoulder. "I saw you looking at me a minute ago. I thought I'd come over here and see if you wanted a date."

Vincent closed his eyes for a moment and sighed. _Great, a God damned prostitute…_

Come on, Vincent! Chaos pled.

He considered the situation for a moment. Tifa _was _with Cid, so why not go for it? Vincent had nothing to lose. At least a whore like this would just be a momentary thing, and he wouldn't have to worry about any relationship type crap coming from this. _All right, Chaos. If I do this, you have to promise me that you'll keep quiet from now until tomorrow morning, understand?_

_If you do this, I'll be in shock. Deal._

Vincent sighed, "Sure."

Instantly, she seemed pleased and she pulled a chair close to his, then sitting at his side. "Great. It's been a slow night."

Never having done anything even remotely like this before, Vincent wasn't exactly sure what he was supposed to do. The only dealings he'd ever had with a working girl had been when he was fifteen years old, and his wretched uncle had brought a hooker home for him to 'make him a man'.

"You're shy, that's cute." She took up one of his hands in hers. "I usually don't get guys as good looking as you in this line of business. You're hot."

He wasn't about to put too much value into the flattery of a prostitute. "Thanks."

She decided to get down to business. "So, what do you want?"

Vincent met her gaze and cocked an eyebrow. This seemed like a stupid question.

"Okay, here's how it is." She smiled again, finding his reluctance to talk amusing. "Twenty for oral, forty for straight sex. I can do anything else you want, too, but we'll have to discuss the price."

Even with the ferium in his blood, Vincent flushed in embarrassment. He almost choked on his reply. "Okay, forty."

"There, was that so bad?" The woman got up from her seat, keeping a hold of his hand.

Vincent followed as she pulled him out of the bar. Once out on the street, he walked along at her side, in disbelief about what he was intending to do.

The woman did her best to fill the silence between them. "So, I've never seen you around here before. New to town?"

"Yeah."

She was quickly realizing that he wasn't one for conversation. "Don't worry, my room is in that motel across the street. I won't force you to tell me your life's story."

Vincent just kept his gaze upon the sidewalk as they went. Within a minute, they were standing in front of her room door. She unlocked it and they went in.

Vincent stood near the door as she went over and climbed onto the bed. She leaned back against the headboard and drew her knees up. Getting a clear shot up her mini skirt, he could instantly see that she wasn't wearing anything beneath it.

She held a hand out to him, and curled her index finger. "Come on, get over here."

_She's waiting, Vincent! Let's go!_

I told_ you to be quiet. _Vincent forced himself to go to her. He climbed onto the bed, and hovered over her on all fours. Strangely enough, he hadn't felt even the slightest hint of arousal yet.

Pleased that he was close, she reached out and undid the waist to his pants, slipping her hand inside. She donned a pout. "Nothing yet? Don't you think I'm worth it?"

Vincent closed his eyes, waiting for his body to react to her touch in any way at all, but nothing seemed to be happening.

After toying with him for a full five minutes, she pulled her hand back. "What's wrong with you?"

Embarrassed beyond belief, Vincent quickly got off of the bed, standing beside it. Why he couldn't manage to get aroused in the least was beyond him. Impotence had never been an issue for him. Little did he know that this complete inability to function sexually was a side effect of ferium. Wanting no more than to get out of the room and back to the base, Vincent pulled out his wallet. Inside, he had a fifty, which he placed on the nightstand. "I'm sorry, I'm going to go."

She picked up the bill. "Well hell, if I could score fifty gil for that, I wonder what I could've gotten if--"

He didn't hear the end of her statement as he walked out and slammed the door. Vincent made his way hastily back to the base.

_You didn't do it, so I don't have to be quiet._

Vincent clenched his fists as he strode down the street. _If you don't want me to go back and O.D. or put a bullet in my brain, you'll shut the fuck up right now._

You're not that fun to live with, you know. Chaos rolled over and went dormant.

-----------------------

Quigley had remained in the infirmary for hours, sitting next to his brother's body. Tears marked his face. Having now mourned his brother's death twice, the researcher was completely inconsolable.

Janice had been sitting in her office working on various things, just waiting for Quigley to leave so that she could get Spencer's body bagged and then readied for cremation. Deciding that he wasn't going to ever pull himself away on his own, Janice got up from her desk and walked over to his side. "Quigley?"

He glanced at her momentarily, before training his eyes back onto Spencer. "Yeah?"

"Do you want me to call someone to be with you?" Janice placed her hand upon his shoulder.

He nodded shallowly. "Yeah."

Janice knew that Quigley only had one real friend. "Porter?"

Again, he just nodded.

Janice went over and hit the intercom button. "Joseph Porter, please come to the infirmary."

Quigley turned away from his brother and toward Janice. "So what happened? Why did he die? I thought he was starting to do better since he wasn't screaming or convulsing anymore."

Janice took a deep breath and came back over toward him. "I guess the withdrawal was just more than his body could handle, Quigley. He might have gotten quiet simply because his body was shutting down. Ferium is a terrible drug, I don't need to tell you that."

He shook his head and motioned at his brother. "I just left for a moment…"

She didn't know what to say. There was no doubt in her mind that it had been simply the inevitable conclusion of Spencer's abuse of ferium. "At least Vincent was here so he wasn't alone."

Quigley met her gaze. "You don't think that Vincent did something, do you?"

"Quigley, you know good and well that Vincent would never do anything like that!" Janice crossed her arms over her chest. "Look, you're upset that he's dead and your doing the normal thing of looking for some reason for his death. Being angry and trying to assign blame are normal parts of mourning, you know that."

Shamefully, he hung his head. The fact that he had dared to accuse Vincent of possibly having had a hand in his brother's death was something he immediately regretted. "I know. Vincent's a good guy."

Porter finally made it to the infirmary and came over to Quigley and Janice. He saw Spencer lying there dead, and turned to his friend for answers. "Quig? What happened?"

He sighed. "I caught him shooting up with ferium earlier today. He went into withdrawal and…"

Porter turned his gaze to Dr. Arlin. "He died from withdrawal?"

She nodded. "It's common with this drug."

He raised his eyebrows. Porter never would have pegged Spencer for a drug addict. He placed his arm around Quigley's shoulders. "I'm sorry, Quig."

Being as tired and upset as he was, Quigley just fell into Porter's arms and cried.

Janice locked into Porter's green eyes. "I was hoping that you could just stay with him tonight and see him through this."

He nodded. "No problem. Come on, Quig. You can stay with Rayna and I tonight."

Quigley backed up from him for a moment. "Are you sure? I don't want to be a nuisance."

Porter was struck by how little Quigley tended to think of himself. "Like I said the other day, Rayna and I love you, Quig. We'd do anything for you. Let's go."

Quigley let himself be led from the room. He was grateful to have a friend like Porter.

-----------------------

Sephiroth lay in bed, Jeanine asleep in his arms. There was a feeling in his heart that he had never once felt as Sephiroth before. It had been growing ever since Jeanine had come home from her lunch with the doctor.

She had returned to their room, and landed in his lap as he sat on the couch. Jeanine had put her arms around his neck and kissed him before sitting back and looking into his eyes. "Jaras?"

He didn't flinch in the least at being called this by her, even though he hated to hear it from the others in the base. "Yes?"

His wife had been thinking about some of the things that she and Janice had discussed. "Can I ask you something?"

His cat like eyes narrowed as he wondered what was on her mind. "Yes?"

"If…if the Jenova you'd been injected with had taken, and you'd become Sephiroth again, would you have stopped loving me?" she asked, brushing an errant tendril of his silver hair over his shoulder.

Sephiroth was able to answer honestly. "Jenova or not, Sephiroth or Jaras, I could never stop loving you, Jeanine."

She was ashamed of what she was going to ask next. "And if you were different than when they kidnapped you, you would tell me, right?"

Forcing himself to smile, he replied. "I'm the same, Jeanine."

And since that moment, he had been feeling guilty for lying to her. As Sephiroth, he had told plenty of lies, willing to do so whenever it would benefit him. Lying to Jeanine, however, was different. He wanted, or rather, he had a need to tell her the truth, but he was afraid of what she would do.

Not able to bear the feeling within him anymore, he gently roused her from her sleep. "Jeanine?"

She looked at him through tired eyes. "What's up?"

"Hypothetically, say I had come back different and I told you that I was Sephiroth, what would you have done?" he asked, trying to make it sound like just a drowsy afterthought.

This was something that she had to think about for a moment. "Does Sephiroth love me in this scenario?"

"Like I said earlier, Sephiroth or Jaras, I could never stop loving you." He tightened his arms around her, fearing the answer.

"I don't know, Jaras. If you were like this, I would have to say that I might cover for you and keep going on with you. If you were full on a psychopathic killer like Sephiroth was, though, I'd probably have some issues." She smiled to herself at the thought.

"Maybe by the time he was truly a homicidal maniac, he had gone insane from Jenova poisoning. Before then, perhaps he only killed out of necessity or revenge." He stared up into the darkness, remembering what he had felt during his last years as Sephiroth. If he did get more Jenova, he would have to talk to Peirte about finding a way around the Jenova madness. "Sephiroth didn't just kill for the hell of it until after he went insane." He remembered eviscerating Hatley in the lab. That had felt good, but Sephiroth believed that he had been justified in that killing.

"So in this question, you're Sephiroth, but you're not crazy?" she clarified for herself.

"Sure."

Jeanine took a deep breath. "I love you, Jaras. As long as you weren't a threat to me or others, I guess…"

"You guess what? Would you be willing to hide the truth from everyone else? Would you be willing to stay with me even though I went by a different name?" He moved away and sat on the edge of the bed.

Jeanine also sat up, wondering why this was so important to him. "Jaras, what's really going on? You're scaring me."

He stood up and turned around, looking down upon her. His eyes shone brighter than they ever had before. If he lost her in this moment, he would go back to Peirte and let him do with him as he pleased. He would have nothing left to live for. "Jeanine…"

She got to her knees on the bed, clutching her hands to her chest. "Jaras…please just tell me what's going on!"

Sephiroth actually felt himself begin to shake. Fear, aside from that he'd had for Hojo, was alien to him in this incarnation. How he could be this attached to this woman was terrifying in and of itself. He would make this confession-- he couldn't continue to lead Jeanine to believe she was with the same person she had married. It wasn't right. He had nothing in his heart for anyone else in the world but her. Sephiroth realized that if what he told her got out, that not only would Vincent react by trying to kill him to cover himself, but that he would take out anyone else who knew the truth, meaning Jeanine. "If I tell you something, you have to swear to me that you won't say a thing to anyone."

"Jaras, you know you can trust me! We've known each other for years." She wanted to put her arms around him, but she was presently too afraid to move.

Sephiroth narrowed his eyes. "Back in the lab, they injected me with Jenova as you know."

"Right." She, too, was beginning to tremble.

"It didn't die off."

Jeanine held her breath. She wasn't sure what she was supposed to do. "Wh…what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that the Jenova they gave me didn't die off, Jeanine. I presently don't care about anyone in the world at all, save you. I was supposed to return to the lab and get more Jenova injected into me, and I wanted that, but now that I've been here with you, I realize that all of the feelings that I had for you as Jaras are still here. I don't want to go back, Jeanine. I need you to help me stay here." Sephiroth tensed his jaw, awaiting her reaction.

Having just heard him refer to Jaras in the third person sent a chill down Jeanine's spine. Her fear went to a whole new level. "No…"

Seeing that she was afraid, he took a step back and hung his head. "I couldn't keep this act up anymore. I do love you, but not letting you know that I had been changed made me feel guilty, and that's not something I'm accustomed to."

Janice had been right. She hadn't been reading enough into things. As a trained psychologist, she should have been far more perceptive than she had been. Yet, something struck her. Changed or not, it was clear that he did still love her, and she loved him as well. This incarnation of her husband was better than not having him at all, and he was asking for her help. If she told anyone, she realized that he would be taken from her and locked up, if not just killed. Jeanine knew that she only had one option. She would accept the dauntingly impossible task of protecting Sephiroth. It all seemed horribly unbalanced. "Sephiroth…"

He kept his gaze cast to the floor. "I am."

"I can't stand to lose you again." Jeanine overcame her fear and crawled to the edge of the bed. He hadn't hurt her thus far, and the idea that he could seemed far from reasonable, even though she was well apprised of Sephiroth's past. _God, I've suddenly become one of those crazy women that get the hots for serial killers in prison… This must be what going insane feels like. What the fuck am I doing? I love him…there's no way I can deny it. I still love him._

"If you want me to go, I will," he said, his voice betraying his anxiety. He didn't like feeling out of control. "If you're afraid of me, I don't want to stay and make you miserable."

"No…" She slid off of the bed and got up. "I…as long as you don't give me a reason to think that you're going to harm anyone, I'll keep your secret. No one needs to know that you have Jenova in you. If anyone here does start to suspect anything, we can just leave and hide somewhere. I won't leave you alone and you don't have to hurt anyone."

Sephiroth looked up slowly, meeting her gaze. He couldn't believe that she was going to accept him.

Jeanine went forward and placed her hands upon his chest. "Maybe you are Sephiroth to the rest of the world, but you're still Jaras to me."

"In my heart, you're the only one that I _am_ still Jaras to." His complete lack of concern for everyone else on the planet ran through him. "_You_ are the only one I care about anymore. _You_ are the only one I know who has never failed me, betrayed me, fought me, or let me down. _You_ are the only one, Jeanine…the only one who can keep me from losing my mind again. If there were a way to rid myself of the Jenova they put in me, short of diving back into the Lifestream, I would do it and become Jaras again, but only for you."

Losing the last of her trepidation, she wrapped her arms around him and rested her head against his chest. "If there's a way, we'll find it."

"I hope so." Sephiroth closed his eyes, enjoying the way she felt against him. After a few moments, he reached down and placed his hands on the sides of her face, then kissing her.

Jeanine willingly gave herself to him without hesitation. Jenova or not, he was still in love with her and she with him. Besides, like she had told Janice, she couldn't complain about the sex. He had never been better.

-----------------------

Tifa couldn't sleep and sat in the kitchen. Back in her bed, Cid was sleeping as she and him had ended up together again. She had left the room after lying awake for three and a half hours. Tifa had managed to do this without disturbing Cid, as she didn't want him awake. He had been coughing severely before bed, and she knew he needed to rest.

Lying before her on the table was Vincent's wedding ring. She'd brought it out here with her for some reason. Vincent had been the reason she hadn't been able to sleep, as he was haunting her every thought. Tifa may have been in love with Cid, but she still loved Vincent, too, and she and the former Turk had possessed a special bond over the years that refused to be broken. Try as she might, she couldn't shake the feeling that there was something horribly wrong with her estranged husband. Tifa found herself staring over at the phone.

Somehow she knew that Vincent wasn't asleep either and she reached over and picked it up. Tifa dialed his cell number and then waited, holding her breath.

"Hello?"

Tifa found it hard to reply and remained silent.

Vincent scowled. Thanks to the caller I.D. on his phone, he knew good and well whom it was. "Either say something or hang up, Tifa. You should be in bed anyway."

"I can't sleep." Her voice was quiet. "I'm guessing you couldn't, either."

Thanks to Chaos' continued hounding and harassment starting in again a few hours after his failure with the hooker that evening, sleep was not a luxury that Vincent was going to be allowed tonight. "No, I couldn't."

Another small silence elapsed before she said something else. "Vincent?"

The ferium was at least keeping him from launching into her. He did his best to be civil, knowing that she was the only way for him to deal with his son. "Yeah?"

"Are you okay?"

Again, there was a brief silence. "You know the answer to that."

Tifa's shoulders slumped. "I'm sorry, Vincent. I didn't do it to hurt you."

"No, you did it because I was dead." Vincent narrowed his eyes as he stared off into the darkness of his room. "I know what I wrote in those letters. I gave you consent. But if I ever see Cid again, you know that I'll kill him."

She could plainly tell by his tone that he was completely serious. "And what would you do to me?"

_Tell her what we'd like to do to her, Vincent. _Chaos just wouldn't rest.

_No, I can't drive her to the point of her forbidding me to see Aaron. _Vincent sighed. "I don't know. You're my son's mother."

Tifa was hurt by this answer for some reason. "Okay."

He could hear her pain in her response. "What were you hoping I would say?"

"Nothing. I don't know."

_What do you want, Tifa? _Vincent felt his mouth pull down in a frown. Beneath the ferium, he was realizing that he was still in love with her.

_Hang up the phone right now, Vincent, _Chaos growled. _She's going to fuck with your mind like she always does. That's the only reason she called, you know. She wants to keep you miserable while she's off having the time of her life._

Shut up, Chaos. Vincent was thinking this particular line far too often. He should have gone and gotten drunk to silence the beast within him, but he hadn't. _With what she's done and with what I've allowed myself to become, how in the hell can I think that I still love her? _"Tifa?"

She reached out and slipped his abandoned wedding ring onto one of her own fingers. "Yeah?"

"Do you still love me?"

Tifa swallowed hard. She would tell him the truth. "Yes, I still love you."

"Okay."

"And you? Do you still care about me?" Tifa twisted the simple gold band around.

_Don't you fucking dare, Vincent. I will make you regret it._

I've had enough of you for tonight, Chaos. What are you going to do? Give me a seizure again? Go fuck off. Vincent shifted his position on the couch. "I told you that I will never stop loving you. I may not be able to forgive you, but I will always still love you."

"Vincent, if I were to send Cid away… do you think that--" she found her words cut off.

"Don't, Tifa. We're over. You love Cid and you couldn't just drive him away like that. He's got a while to live, unless I run into him. Make the most of it." Vincent was going to admit the truth in his own way. "You wouldn't want me home anyway, Tifa. I'm far from being the same man that left that house to go with ASRIO. I've changed and I know I can never go back."

"Vincent?" Tifa let the ring fall back to the table. The tone he was using scared her. "What do you mean by that?"

"I'm not on the side of the good guys anymore, Tifa." Vincent pulled the phone away from his ear and hung up. He had nothing more to say.

She sat there still holding the phone, trying to understand what his last sentence had meant. Tifa felt tears in her eyes.

"You want him to come home, don't you?"

Startled, Tifa looked up, spotting Cid leaning against the kitchen doorway. His arms were crossed over his chest and his eyes were red. "Cid…how long have you been there?"

He ran a hand through his hair, straightening up and taking several steps forward. "Long enough. I knew you'd do this, Tiff."

She set the phone down onto the table and stared at him. "You knew I'd do what?"

"Not be able to let go." He landed in the chair directly across from her. "I can't do this, Tifa. If I can't have all of your heart, I don't want any of it. If every time I touch you, I have to wonder if you're thinking about him, then that's it."

"Cid, I love you!"

He frowned. "Yeah, and I just stood there and heard you tell Vincent the same thing. I knew this would fucking happen."

"Cid!" Tifa started to get up from her seat.

"Sit the hell down!" Cid got up quickly, causing his chair to fall backward. "I told you that I didn't want you to be with me if you were going to languish away for Vincent. You reassured me time and time again that you were done with him! You swore you didn't want him anymore…I finally believed you and now this…I'm so fucking tired of these God damned games…"

It had been a rare moment that Cid had ever yelled at her. He had her attention.

"Okay…" Cid scowled down at her. "I'm dyin', and I'm staying here until that happens so that my poor fucking son isn't jerked around anymore. In the meanwhile, we're done. I love you, I love being with you, but I'm _not_ playing these God damned mind games. They will do nothing more than drive me into the ground faster. I don't need any help with that, Tifa. I really don't."

_Why did I call him? Just look at what you've done to Cid! _Tifa felt the heat of tears upon her cheeks and she dropped her gaze away from him. The problem was that she and Cid had crossed that line between lovers and friends, and once that's done, it's virtually impossible to go back.

Cid sighed heavily and turned around, uprighting his chair. He looked back over his shoulder at her. "I'm going back to bed. _My _bed. See you in the morning, Tifa."

She was speechless as he walked out, then locking himself in the guestroom. Tifa suddenly felt very alone in the world.

-----------------------

_I have to ask, Vincent, why have you done this to yourself?_

What? He was still awake, staring up at the ceiling of his room.

_You let yourself fall in love with women that you will be hurt by. Women you can never really have. Why do you do that? _Chaos asked.

_Chaos, I'm not in the mood to explain myself to you. _Vincent closed his eyes. All he really wanted was sleep.

The demon sighed. _Lucrecia. A woman that you fell in love with despite the fact she was married to Hojo. Sure, you persuaded her to fuck you, but she inevitably returned to her husband and you got hurt. That resulted in a lot of misery for you, Vincent. But did you learn? No, of course not. You let yourself fall in love with another woman who was married to Cloud and you went after her as well. You persuade her to leave her husband for you, and she's only prevented from going back to him because he died. You know good and well that if Cloud had been alive, that she would have had second thoughts. She wasn't looking for someone to love, Vincent. Tifa was just looking for someone to keep her from being alone. She proved that the second you were dead and she hooked up with Cid. But you're alive. You know that she's now putting that fucking pilot through the same shit that Lucrecia put you through. Hell, your wife may even be carrying his baby. That would be poetic justice, huh?_

Just let me sleep, Chaos. Harass me in the morning. Vincent rolled onto his side.

_Not yet. You know, if Cid is taking your place in this scenario and we say that Tifa is Lucrecia, then guess who that makes you, Vincent._

Stop it.

Chaos laughed. _It makes you God damned Hojo! Isn't that wonderful? Now you know what it's like from both sides, huh? Well, Hojo got his revenge on you, didn't he? Cutting you apart, torturing you. I say it's your turn, Vincent. After we get that information out of here and to ASRIO, we're going to go see Cid. Oh yes we are, and do you know what we're going to do with him?_

He didn't want to think about it. Vincent slid from the bed and went toward the bathroom, intending to shoot up again to give himself some peace.

_We're going to drag him off somewhere, Vincent. Somewhere cold and lonely and we're going to rip him apart, piece by tiny piece. We won't kill him, no, we'll let his self-induced disease do that, we will just make all of his remaining time agonizing. It will feel good to have his blood on our hands. Yes it will. _Chaos, not wanting to drive Vincent into giving himself an overdose then went silent and stayed that way for the rest of the night.

Vincent drew up a dose of ferium. First, he filled the syringe to the same dose as he had given Spencer to kill him, but then he slowly pushed most of it back into the vial, until his syringe was loaded with just the prescribed quarter milliliter. He wouldn't kill himself tonight. Aaron didn't need that kind of news when his mother was already putting him through hell-- and he was, too.

-----------------------

Aaron was lying wake in his bed, staring up into the darkness, mirroring his father's recent pose. He'd come out of his light sleep when he'd heard his mother and Cid raise their voices in the kitchen. It had ripped open something inside him.

_See? It's all the same. Mom's going to argue with Cid now all the time just like she did with Dad, _he thought to himself, feeling a sting in his eyes. He had been under far too much stress for a boy his age to handle. Something had snapped within him the other day, and he'd felt a strange feeling within him since then, but now lying here listening to that argument, that feeling began to change. Aaron sat up and placed his hands on the sides of his head, as he felt a pain within.

_You can't live here like this, Aaron._

The boy's eyes went wide and he looked around in the darkness. He was pretty sure that the voice he'd just heard was in his head, but it had been so clear, so loud that he feared someone was standing beside his bed.

But there was no one else in the room but L.C., and he was asleep.

_You can finally hear me. It's about time._

Aaron was now truly panicked. He flew out of his bed and over into the corner of his room, crouching down beside his desk. "Who's there?"

_I'm not out there, Aaron. I'm in here, in you. Relax._

L.C. grunted and rolled over in his sleeping bag, not aware that Aaron was up.

The boy was shaking now. "Are you a ghost?"

Whatever it was, it laughed. _No. I'm part of you, Aaron. I've been with you all along, but it's taken this long for me to get through to you. Only now were you unhappy enough to let me come to the surface. I can help you through this, but you have to do what I tell you to._

Realizing that this voice, whatever it may be, was really just something he was hearing in his mind, he slowly rose back up. Aaron wondered if he had gone crazy.

_You're not crazy._

Aaron whispered back, "Who are you?"

_You don't have to speak to talk to me, just think. You don't want other's around you to know I'm in here, right?_

Aaron closed his eyes and thought, _Who are you?_

There you go. The voice sounded pleased. _As for who I am, you have to give me a name._

Name you? Aaron opened his eyes and looked around his room, still not sure of what was going on. He hoped that this was a dream.

_Yes, give me a name, Aaron._

Like what? the boy wondered.

_There is another like me living in your father, Aaron. That's where you get me. He calls his 'Chaos'._

Aaron's eyes went wide. There had been a few times over the years when he had been eavesdropping on his parents and he'd heard that name mentioned. During those conversations, Aaron had just assumed that it was some sort of monster that had been involved in his mother and father's lives a long time ago. He never had thought once that the monster was actually part of his dad. Suddenly, he became more afraid. "No… I don't want to be a monster! I don't!"

L.C. was awakened as Aaron cried out in fear. He sat up and looked over at him in the dim light. "Spaz? Whatcha doing?"

Aaron had fallen to his knees, and was holding his head in his hands again. "Go get my mom!"

Scared to see Aaron obviously upset like this, L.C. did as ordered and got up quickly, running out of the room. He could see that the light in the kitchen was on and he made his way there. He found Tifa sitting alone at the table as Cid had, by now, gone back to his room.

Seeing L.C. standing before her, Tifa grew concerned. "What is it? Are you okay?"

L.C. pointed down the hall. "It ain't me, Tiff. It's Spaz."

Worried, she got up and followed the boy back to the room and turned on the light. She spotted Aaron curled up on the floor, mumbling to himself under his breath. Tifa went to his side and knelt down. "Aaron?"

When he turned his eyes to her, Tifa fell backwards and screamed. One of her long-standing fears had finally come true.

Aaron didn't understand her reaction to him and he felt tears come up. He reached out a trembling hand toward her. "Mom? Help me…"

Tifa couldn't bring herself to go and comfort her son. She was too mortified to do anything.

Cid, having heard Tifa's scream ran in. He came to her side and put an arm around her shoulders. "Tifa? What's going on?"

She pointed at her son as he lay there before her. "Oh God, Cid… Look at Aaron."

The pilot did as ordered and caught his breath.

Aaron's eyes were no longer the dark coffee color he'd had since birth. They were the color his father's had been many years ago-- red.

Cid saw that the boy, changed eye color or not, was in pain. He reached out and took his hand. "What happened, Aaron?"

The voice inside him growled. _Don't let him touch you!_

Aaron pulled his hand away. He didn't want to discuss anything in front of this man. "I just want to be with my mom… but she's scared of something…"

Seeing her boy now openly crying forced Tifa to push past her fear. She went to him and pulled him up. After leading him to his bed, she had him sit down. Tifa then turned to Cid and L.C. "I need to talk to him alone for a little."

L.C. instantly took the hint and shuffled off, but Cid hesitated. He went over and grabbed Tifa's arm, pulling her out into the hallway for a moment. Cid shut the boy's bedroom door and glared at her. "You thinking he's starting to do it like Sue?"

Tifa shrugged. She didn't want to have this discussion with Cid right now, she wanted to be in there with her son as he went through whatever was happening to him. "I don't know, Cid. I have to get back in there."

He blocked her path. "Look, if he's gonna freak out and pull that Chaos shit like his father, then there is no way I'm letting you or anyone else be around him alone."

"Back the fuck off, Cid." Tifa's maternal instincts were rearing up. "He's my son and he needs me right now."

Seeing that she was getting ready to hit him if he didn't let her by, Cid raised his hands in surrender. "You just remember what Sunshine did to you when he became that fucking thing, Tifa. Aaron might be smaller, but he could still hurt you if he went all out. Get me if anything starts to happen."

Tifa blew him off and opened her son's door and entered. She locked it behind her, wanting to keep Cid away for now.

Aaron looked up from where he was sitting and watched as his mother came back over and sat beside him. From the way she looked back at him, he realized that something was profoundly wrong with him. "What is it? What's happened to me?"

She gathered her courage and reached out, placing her hand against his cheek. "Aaron, what are you feeling inside right now?"

"Scared…" He looked away. "Angry. There's something inside me, Mom. It wants me to think bad things…"

This confirmed it for her. Somehow, despite all of the treatment that Vincent had received and his presumed cure of this condition, he had still managed to pass it onto his son. The thought that her boy was now going to have to contend with some version of Chaos within him, along with everything else that was going on in his world, pained her deeply. She hoped that ASRIO could help her son with this as they had Vincent. "Reno has some men working for him that might be able to make this better for you, Aaron. I'll call them, okay?"

"What is it? I've got that Chaos thing that you and Dad talked about a couple of times, don't I?" Aaron hung his head as he felt the tears well up.

She wasn't that surprised that he had heard this at some point. Tifa knew of her son's propensity for hearing things he shouldn't have. "Maybe."

"Why did you scream when you first came into my room?" he asked, wondering if he somehow looked different.

Tifa rose up from the bed and held her hand out to him. "Come with me, I want to show you something."

Aaron grabbed a hold of her and followed as she took him to her room. Tifa pulled out a small white photo album from her nightstand drawer. She sat on the edge of her bed and opened it.

The boy came to her side, wondering what she was up to. "Mom?"

Tifa pulled a picture from the album and examined it for a moment. "Look at this picture carefully, Aaron, and tell me what you see."

He took it and turned it over. It was a picture, presumably from the day his parents had gotten married, since they were dressed in wedding clothes. The main focus of the photograph was his father, smiling faintly. Aaron looked carefully, there was something wrong-- his dad's eyes were the wrong color. "Why are his eyes red, Mom?"

Tifa reached out and touched the picture. "A long time ago, your father used to have something inside of him that tried to get him to do bad things. It made his eyes that color."

Aaron suddenly realized why he'd been shown this picture and he let it fall from his grasp. "I…I want to see."

Tifa led him into her bathroom and turned on the lights. She stood behind Aaron as he went up to the mirror slowly, dreading what he would find.

The boy froze as he examined his own image. His eyes had lost their familiar dark color and he saw that they were just like his father's had been in that old picture. It was horrible, but being that he was a small kid, he couldn't completely write off the fact that in a way, it was cool. He donned a faint smile and went closer, getting a better look of himself. "I look just like Dad in that picture."

Tifa nodded. He did.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

In the morning, Tifa awoke. Aaron was lying beside her, already awake. He'd spent the night in his mother's bed, too afraid to be alone after what had happened to him. He offered her a weak smile.

In this morning light, Tifa could truly appreciate the color his eyes had become. They were the exact same blood red as Vincent's had once been, both beautiful and terrible at the same time. How this could be happening to her son was beyond her, but she had great hope that ASRIO would be able to do something. "Are you okay, Aaron?"

He gave her a slight nod and then sat up. "Yeah."

"It's Saturday, you don't have to worry about school."

Aaron slid off of the bed and stood. He wouldn't have wanted to go anyway. The kids gave him a hard time as it was, and he didn't suppose that having red eyes like his now were would help that. "I'm gonna go get dressed."

"Me, too." Tifa got out of the bed and went to take a shower.

Once ready for the day, Aaron went out to the kitchen to have a bowl of cereal. He saw that Cid and L.C. were already there. The boy gave them passing regard as he went about his business.

Cid turned in his seat and watched Aaron go about making his breakfast. He wondered exactly how much like Vincent Aaron was going to prove to be. The pilot was not comfortable with the idea that this kid could be another Chaos in the making.

Aaron felt the man's eyes upon him, even though his back was turned and he stopped moving as the voice spoke up again. _He's thinking about what a freak you are, Aaron._

I know. Aaron sighed heavily. "Don't stare at me, Cid."

How the boy could know that he'd been watching him was beyond him. This kid was spooky. Cid turned back around in his chair and locked gazes with his son. "Remember what I said this morning, L.C."

The pilot's son hung his head and frowned. Before Aaron had arrived, his father had strictly forbidden him from being alone with Aaron anymore. L.C. didn't understand this. He couldn't comprehend the potential danger lurking within his best friend's mind. "Okay."

Aaron slammed the spoon he'd just pulled from a drawer down upon the counter. He was well aware of what was going on between Cid and his son, even without the demon lurking within him discussing it. He closed his eyes and his shoulders heaved. "It's bad enough that I just lost my dad for you, Cid, but now you're going to take away my best friend, too?"

Cid slowly turned in his seat. Had he not known better, he would have sworn that it was Vincent himself speaking. He spotted the boy glaring back at him with those damn red eyes. "Look, I'm not tryin' to make your life miserable, Aaron, I just don't want anyone getting hurt."

Aaron cocked his head. "And you think I would actually hurt someone?"

"You don't know what that thing inside you is capable of, kid." Cid couldn't believe that he was having this discussion with a six-year-old. Aaron was far too advanced for his age. He was just a miniature version of Vincent, and apparently a copy possessing the same flaws as the original. Cid suddenly realized that he didn't like Aaron all that much.

_He hates you, Aaron. Just like he hates your father. He's going to push you out of this family just like he did Vincent. L.C. is your replacement. _The demon was doing it's best to sway Aaron's mind-- and it was working.

Keeping his gaze locked with Cid, Aaron felt anger begin to well up inside of him. He wished that Cid would just go home, so maybe his father would come back.

Tifa walked in on the tense silence that had fallen over the scene. She switched her gaze between her son and Cid. "What's going on?"

Cid turned to face her, embarrassed that he had been on the verge of getting into it with the boy. "Nothing."

Aaron, now calming down, got back to the task of making his breakfast.

Tifa sat at Cid's side. She kept her voice low, not wanting her son to hear. "Just because his eyes changed color last night doesn't mean that you can start treating him like you used to treat Vincent when he had Chaos inside of him."

Cid scoffed. Sometimes, Tifa was beyond stupid. "I gave Vincent a hard time back then because I was afraid that he was going to hurt someone, and need I remind you that he _did_ hurt you. And if Aaron's goin' down that same fucking path, I ain't letting my son get hurt by being around him the first time he flips out and sprouts wings."

Aaron, realizing that the adults were talking about him, picked up his prepared bowl of cereal from the counter and carried it out into the family room. He just wanted to be alone.

As his mother, Tifa couldn't stand to hear Cid talk about her son like this and she got angry. "You watch what you say around him, Cid! I love that boy more than anything in the world, and I _will_ throw you out of this house if I ever hear you say anything cruel to him. Vincent put up with a lot of shit from you, but Aaron isn't going to have to do that. He's still just a little boy, for God's sake!"

L.C., not wanting to watch the adults fight, slid out of his chair and went to go sit with Aaron.

Cid, seeing that his own son was now gone, turned in his seat to face Tifa square on. "Yeah, he may be a little boy, Tifa, but that thing inside him sure as hell isn't. And you can just forget right here and now about kickin' me out, Tiff, 'cause there ain't no way I'm leaving you alone with that kid, either. You're stuck with me."

Tifa lost her anger. Cid was just scared, and she knew full well that he tended to be a jerk when he was afraid of something. "Fine, but please watch what you say to him, Cid. Maybe he has something living inside of him, but he's still my son…he's all I really have now."

Cid realized that this last statement was meant for him. Although he wanted to be with Tifa still, he had promised himself that he wouldn't pursue anything else with her since it would be just doomed to failure-- thanks to Tifa's complete lack of ability to let go of the past. Besides, as close as Cid and she were, he knew that there was just some other profound bond between her and Vincent that they never had. Vincent and Tifa, for whatever it was worth, seemed destined to commiserate for the rest of time, whether they were together as lovers or separated by hundreds of miles. They were, in a way, perfect for each other, and Cid knew it. They both just thrived on misery too much. "I'll try to watch it. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to piss you off."

She flashed him a weak smile. "It's okay. Hungry?"

Now, the conversation was going in a direction that he actually wanted to be a part of. "Hell yeah. I could go for some pancakes. I like the way you make them, Tiff."

Tifa rolled her eyes and got up from her seat. She would indulge him.

-----------------------

L.C. shuffled out into the family room and spotted Aaron sitting on the floor in front of the television, although it was off. He went and sat beside his friend. "Spaz?"

Aaron turned his eyes to L.C. "Yeah?"

Not having gotten a good look at Aaron's eyes until now, L.C. smiled. "Wow, Aaron…"

He dropped his stare back to the bowl of cereal sitting on the floor before him. "They're different, huh?"

"Yeah, look at me again."

Aaron complied, and glanced up at his friend.

L.C.'s grin widened. "Those are cool."

He couldn't help but smile in return. "Yeah, they kinda are, huh?"

"You bet they are." L.C. was glad to finally see some sort of a crack in the mood that Aaron had been in for the last several days. "Spaz?"

He kept locked into his companion's blue eyes. "Yeah?"

"You sorta scared me last night," L.C. confessed, not usually one to admit any fear.

"I'm sorry." Aaron shoveled another spoonful of cereal into his mouth. "I'm feeling better this morning."

"Good. Wanna go outside when you're done? We could go look for more bugs to feed your mom's chickens." This had become their favorite pass time.

Aaron nodded, and answered with his mouth full. "Sure."

-----------------------

Vincent walked the halls of the ASRIO base, too bored to stay in his room any longer. As he came around a corner, he nearly knocked down Reno, who had his arms laden with several papers and binders.

"Vinny! I was just gonna dig you up." Reno offered the best smile he could at this early an hour.

_Be nice, Vincent._

"Hey Reno." He grabbed a binder off of the pile in the ASRIO leader's arms, as it was about to fall to the floor. "What did you want me for?"

"Thanks." Reno shifted the bulk of his load. "Time for you to get your lazy ass to work, that's what. Follow me."

_It's about time._

Vincent produced a smile and walked along behind his son-in-law. He found himself taken to the main control room of the base. Reno's desk was in a rear corner here, and he took Vincent to another desk directly to the left of it.

Reno dropped all of the papers in his arms onto the desk that held nothing other than a computer. "Here ya' go, Vinny! Now, get to work you lazy bitch!"

He looked at Reno. "What am I supposed to do with all of that?"

Reno went and landed in his chair behind his desk close by. "Stuff."  
"Seriously, Reno." Vincent sat in the chair behind his own desk. This was a lot of paper, and he had no idea what it was for.

"Well, since I can trust you, I'm giving you the job of keeping track of the expenses of transporting our agents around. Those are lists of who we've sent where lately, and how much it cost to get them there. Our finances have gotten a little fucked up lately, and we need to keep better track of that sort of thing. It was supposed to be one of the things I take care of, but you know, being boss and all, I'm way to busy for that shit. I figured you can do simple data entry just as good as me, right?" Reno put his feet up on his desk.

"Sounds exciting." Vincent opened one of the binders and saw that it was full of notebook paper hastily written upon in Reno's sloppy handwriting. It would take months for him to get through this. Vincent actually felt a wave of gratitude for only having to do this until he pirated out the information he needed to get to Shinra. "Do I need a password to get into the computer?"

"Oh, yeah." Reno reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper that he then hurled at Vincent.

With his reaction times lacking thanks to his surgery all those years before, Vincent didn't have a chance to catch the wadded up note, and it hit him in the head before falling to the floor.

Reno laughed. "You're so fucking slow now!"

"I'm glad you're amused." Annoyed, Vincent reached down and picked up the paper. He unfolded it and looked at what it said.

__

User name- Fuzzy Bunny

Password- ILIKEMEN

Chaos reared up._ That's it. We're killing him when we leave this fucking dump._

Vincent glared over at Reno. He never gave Vincent a break. "I'm assuming that I can change these once I log on, right?"

Dying of laughter, Reno shook his head. "Hell no! I'm the only one who can reset user names and passwords. What you got you have for life!"

"Thanks." Vincent turned his attention to the computer on his desk and powered it on. He waited for it to boot up, and it took a long time. "I see you've given me a new computer that comes right up, too."

"Yeah, that's the piece of shit from--" Reno stopped himself, suddenly looking down.

Vincent narrowed his eyes. It wasn't like Reno to edit himself. "What is it?"

"Nothing." He took his feet off of his desk and turned his own computer on. "It was from Spencer's desk. He never really used it so he didn't ever ask for a better one."

"Oh." Vincent looked over and saw that the login screen had finally come up. He grudgingly entered in his information.

"If that isn't too hard for you to remember, destroy that paper, Vinny." Reno logged on to his own account. "Don't let anyone else see it."

Vincent cocked an eyebrow at him. "Do you honestly think I would let anyone see this?"

Reno snickered. "No, I guess you wouldn't. But yeah, don't let it out and never leave your computer logged on when you're not at your desk. I gave you access to pretty much everything, Vinny."

"I understand." Vincent smiled. This was going to be far too easy.

"And there's a couple of blank CD's in one of your drawers there. I'm having a laptop ordered for you, so you can do some of your work in your room or wherever.

"I appreciate that." Vincent opened the top drawer to his desk and spotted the blank writable CD's. He now had a way to get the information out of the base once he found it. All he had to do was search the computer and wait for Reno to leave his desk so he could save it to a disk. His mission could now be completed within days.

-----------------------

Jeanine sat in the base's cafeteria, staring across the table at her husband. The fact that he was Sephiroth and not Jaras still seemed surreal. If, however, this was how Sephiroth had been before going insane, then she realized that he had gotten a bad wrap. Then again, he had confessed to only caring about her and no one else.

He looked up from his lunch and noticed her stare. Sephiroth cocked his head to the side. "Yes?"

Now that she knew what was going on within him, she was able to appreciate the subtle differences. His musculature was becoming more defined although he wasn't working out as the Jenova cells began to strengthen him. "Nothing, I was just admiring you."

Sephiroth offered her a fleeting smile and then reached across the table, grabbing one of her hands. "The way you look at me even though we've been together for all of these years…I like it."

"Well, you're the best looking man I've ever known, Jaras…or not." She grinned. Inside, Jeanine hurt to know that he was different, but he was still here, and after having thought she'd lost him in that lab, she would take what she would get.

Her flattery had always embarrassed him slightly, and even as Sephiroth, some color came to his cheeks. "I don't know about that…"

Jeanine gripped his hand tighter. "Deal with it."

"If you were scared of me, you'd be honest and let me know, right?" he asked.

She lost herself in his emerald eyes. "I would, yes."

"And if you saw me starting to change for the worse, you'd let me know that as well, right? I mean, when I started to lose it before, I was never really aware that it was happening. Not that there was anyone in my life at the time that I would have listened to if they'd told me." He dropped his gaze away.

"I would do whatever I could to help you and keep you." Jeanine picked up his hand and gave it a kiss.

This sort of comfort was not something he'd felt during his previous life as Sephiroth. He wondered if it would have made a difference in the way things had turned out for him if he'd had someone like Jeanine back then.

-----------------------

Tifa was in the kitchen getting lunch together for everyone. Once lunch was done, she was going to call Reno and see if they could help Aaron. She had intended to do this earlier, but the day had proven…difficult.

Cid had loosened up a little as the day had gone on, as his resolve to keep from being with Tifa eroded away. His heart just wasn't going to listen to his logic.

As she pulled a frozen pizza from the freezer, she felt a terrible pain run through her. She fell to her knees and put her hands on the sides of her stomach. At thirty-five weeks, the baby could be born now and survive, but Tifa realized that she would need to get to the hospital in time. While this contraction continued, her water broke, indicating that the baby was coming no matter what.

When the pain let up enough, she cried out. "Cid!"

He heard her from the front porch and ran into the house. When he found her on the kitchen floor, he immediately felt sick. This was just how things had started with Shera. Cid knelt at her side and placed his hands upon her shoulders. "Tifa? What's going on?"

"Get the boys…we need to go to the hospital now…" she gasped.

"Shit!" He helped her up and nearly carried her out of the house. As he made his way toward the car with her hanging from him, he yelled out at the boys. "Come on! Get in the car!"

Aaron and L.C. came running, instantly knowing that something was wrong. They climbed into the back seat of the car as ordered.

Cid got Tifa into the passenger seat and then went around to the driver's side. He'd grabbed the keys on the way out of the house and got the car started. Within moments, they were racing down the road.

"There's a blue house on the left soon, Cid." Tifa said, for the moment not suffering through a contraction. "Stop there. The lady that lives there agreed to watch Aaron when I had the baby. She'll be willing to take L.C., too."

Cid wasn't eager to stop anywhere, but having the kids along while Tifa gave birth wasn't a thought that sat well with him. When he saw the house in question, he quickly pulled over. "Okay kids, get out and behave."

Aaron, familiar with this house and the woman within, got out of the car and took L.C.'s hand, pulling him along behind him as he went up to the door.

Tifa and Cid remained in the car until they saw the woman open the door and let the boys in. She waved at Tifa in the car, understanding that she needed to be on her way.

Knowing that the boys were safe for the moment, Cid hit the gas and burned down the road. The drive to the hospital in Kalm normally took around and hour. Cid had the car parked before the entrance doors within thirty-five minutes. The fact that they hadn't been stopped for speeding was a miracle.

Tifa was having contractions frequent enough as to be unable to walk. Cid scooped her up from the front seat of the car and carried her inside. "Someone! She's having a fucking baby!"

His outburst got the attention of everyone around, and a nurse quickly appeared with a wheelchair for Tifa, and they were taken to the labor and delivery ward.

As Tifa was situated in a bed and examined by the doctor present, a nurse pulled Cid aside. "I need her name. I hope you guys pre-registered already."

Tifa heard this from the bed. "I…I registered with the hospital about a week ago. Tifa Vatatsi."

The nurse quickly wrote this down and then looked at Cid again. "And are you the father?"

Cid wasn't sure what to say. "Maybe…uh, I don't know."

In this day and age, this wasn't the first time the nurse had heard such a reply. "I'll just put you down as birth coach, then. Your name?"

"Cid Highwind. Wait, what? You mean…I have to stay in here for this?" Cid looked back over at Tifa, seeing that she was in the midst of another contraction and in pain.

Through her agony, she managed to open her eyes and look at the pilot. Although she'd had a baby before, she was still scared, and there was no way she felt that she could go through it alone. If Vincent couldn't be here, then Cid _had_ to be. "Please, Cid…I need you!"

He rolled his eyes and then went to her side. Another nurse was getting an I.V. into Tifa's arm on the opposite side of the bed from Cid.

In her fear and pain, Tifa took a hold of one of Cid's hands, and held on for all she was worth.

Cid couldn't bear to see her suffering like this. "Ain't someone gonna give her something for pain?"

"The anesthesiologist is on his way, Sir. She'll get an epidural once he's here," the nurse said as she finished taping the I.V. line to Tifa's arm.

The doctor that had just examined Tifa spoke up. "Mrs. Vatatsi, you're nine centimeters and fully effaced. I'm going to check you as soon as your epidural is in and you'll probably be ready to push."

She just nodded, trying her best to brace herself for the next contraction as it came on. The pain of childbirth is all encompassing. One's mind does not wander from the task at hand.

The anesthesiologist arrived and Tifa was made to sit up and lean forward with Cid holding on to her. He got the epidural placed within minutes and Tifa quickly felt relief from her pain. She was allowed to lie down again, but she kept one of Cid's hands in her own.

The obstetrician checked her once more. "All right, you're ready to push, Mrs. Vatatsi."

Tifa met Cid's gaze one last time before closing her eyes and getting to work. She pushed with every contraction, the nurses present counting to ten each time. Cid felt completely useless and in the way, but it was clear that Tifa wasn't going to let him go.

After thirty minutes of hard work, the moment finally arrived.

"All right, one more push and the baby will be out," the doctor announced.

Tifa gave it her best effort, and the child was finally free of her. She let her head fall back to the pillow exhausted, but she was eager to be given her baby.

The doctor quickly suctioned out the infant's mouth and nose, and then reached over and placed the baby on Tifa's stomach. Despite being somewhat premature, the baby was of a good size and not seeming to have any trouble breathing. "Congratulations, you have a daughter."

Tifa placed her arms around the baby, staring down at her tiny face. She was absolutely perfect.

The doctor held up a pair of scissors toward Cid. "Do you want to cut the cord?"

Cid, for the only time in his life, immediately went pale and hit the floor.

Tifa saw him drop and looked over, seeing him passed out. "Cid!"

The nurses, accustomed to fainting men, rushed to his side and tended to him. Within a few moments, he was conscious again and cursing for everyone to "leave him the fuck alone."

After he managed back to his feet, he examined the baby girl that Tifa was holding. Neither of them had mentioned it yet, but now that the baby had been towel dried, it was obvious.

She was blond.

-----------------------

Hours had gone by, but Vincent hadn't yet gotten a chance to look up the information that he needed, as Reno had never left his desk. So, Vincent had just been dutifully sifting through all of the papers that Reno had provided him with.

In the meanwhile, Reno sat at his desk, bantering with Vincent, and doing things on his own computer. He wasn't really working-- most of his time had been spent either playing solitaire or cruising through his spam email folder for porn links.

Vincent's cell phone rang and he pulled it from his pocket.

The ASRIO leader looked over at him. "First day on the job and you're gonna start making personal phone calls on my time?"

"You're not paying me, Reno." Vincent disregarded him. He didn't recognize the number that the call was coming from, but chose to answer anyway. "Hello?"

There was no reply from the other end right away, but there was a sound-- that of a newborn infant crying.

Vincent felt his heart race. "Tifa? Is that you?"

She handed the baby off to Cid and finally responded. "Vincent…"

"What's going on?" Vincent already knew.

"I had the baby."

He hung his head. It had been several hours since his last dose of ferium and his emotions were getting close to the surface. Vincent felt tears in his eyes. "It was too early, though. Is everything all right?"

"Yes, even though she was early, she's doing all right. They're going to keep us here for two days just to make sure, but they don't anticipate any problems." Tifa smiled as she looked over at Cid holding the infant. He was great with babies.

Vincent's eyes went wide. "_She_?"

Tifa laughed, tears in her own eyes. "Yeah, I had a little girl."

"And?" Vincent asked.

"And?" Tifa knit her brow.

"Who does it look like, Tifa." Vincent slouched in his chair. He shouldn't care about this anymore, but it was beyond his control.

"We won't really know until she's a little older, Vince," she said, wiping the tears away from her eyes, already convinced that it was Cid's.

Her denial confirmed his worst fear. "So she looks like Cid?"

Tifa broke down crying. "Just come and see her, Vincent! We can have a test run--"

He didn't want to deal with it anymore and he hung up.

Cid looked over from where he was sitting with the baby. "Tiff?"

She turned her eyes to him. "He…he just hung up on me…"

"Damn it." Cid got up and came back to her side, sitting on the edge of her hospital bed. He handed her the baby, knowing that it would make her feel better. "He knows it's mine, right?"

"It might be yours, we don't know." Tifa wasn't going to base the child's parentage on hair and eye color alone.

Cid kept his gaze fixed on the little girl. "I think it's mine, Tiff. Vincent's Wutain for God's sake. Do you think he could throw a kid that color? She don't look nothing like Aaron."

Tifa had to admit the obvious. "I know…she looks like L.C."

-----------------------

Vincent threw his phone onto his desk and leaned back in his chair, running his hands down his face, pushing back the tears. He needed to go get another fix of ferium, but he wanted to get his composure together before walking through the base.

Reno had just watched the entire conversation, but only having heard Vincent's side, he didn't really know what was going on. "Vinny?"

He glanced over at his son-in-law. "What?"

"You okay?"

"No."

"What happened?" Reno asked.

Vincent closed his eyes for a moment. "Tifa had the baby."

"Oh shit! Everything's okay, right?" Reno got up from his chair and came over, sitting on Vincent's desk.

"Everything's fine, aside from the fact that it's not _my_ baby." Vincent slammed his hand down onto the desk. "It's not mine!"

Reno was completely thrown. "What?"

"It's Cid's."

The ASRIO leader stood back up and put his hands on his hips. "So…so Cid got her pregnant?"

_How have you dealt with someone this fucking stupid over the years, Vincent? _Chaos asked.

"It would seem that way." Vincent got up from his desk. "If you don't mind, I'm going to go take a break. Don't tell Angel about any of this."

"Okay…" Reno put his hand on Vincent's shoulder. "Are you gonna be all right?"

Vincent forced a false smile. "I'll be fine, Reno. I always am."

-----------------------

As it got toward evening, Sephiroth excused himself from Jeanine and went to go see his father. He knocked on Vincent's door, but there was no answer. Sephiroth put his ear against the door and listened. He heard something within, and decided to see if the door was locked. It wasn't.

Sephiroth stepped inside and turned on the light.

Vincent was lying on the floor beside the bed, his body weakly convulsing. Chaos had kept him seizing off and on for hours, in an attempt to keep Vincent alive. When he had returned to his room after getting the news that the baby had been born, Vincent had intentionally overdosed. His goal had been to kill himself, but Chaos wasn't letting him go without a fight. Yet, after the last several hours, Vincent's body was tiring and Chaos was losing the fight to keep him alive.

Sephiroth quickly went over and knelt at Vincent's side, rolling him onto his back. "Vincent?"

His eyes were rolled back and his breathing was painfully slow. Vincent's skin was soaked in a cold sweat, and his color was ashen. At some point during the seizures that Chaos had forced him through, Vincent had vomited.

Sephiroth was able to shut out the gross details of Vincent's present condition. He was in a dilemma.

On one hand, he felt that he should just walk out of the room right now and lock the door. If Vincent died, that would stop him from carrying out the mission, thus sparing Jeanine from having her name taken to Shinra along with everyone else's in ASRIO. This would be the simplest thing to do.

However, Sephiroth had now had the Jenova in him long enough for one of its side effects to have kicked in. The so-called Jenova preservation drive within him was rearing. It had been this unconscious compulsion to save those genetically close to him that had made him save Tseng's life so many years ago, and it was even stronger when it came to Vincent. He had no control over this-- he had to save his father.

Resenting his instincts for making him do it, Sephiroth took Vincent's unresponsive body up into his arms and went into the bathroom. He got the water running in the shower and placed Vincent within it, letting the water run cold over him.

Vincent groaned as the shock of the cold got him to the surface of consciousness.

Sephiroth reached forward, himself getting soaked by the water, and pulled Vincent's soiled shirt off of him.

Vincent's eyes fluttered open for a moment. He was in a profound state of euphoria thanks to all of the ferium in his blood-- he felt better than he ever had, despite his present physical state.

With his mind not working normally, he saw Sephiroth before him, but in his delusional state, he saw Sephiroth as an angel, complete with wings-- or at least, one. A smile came to his lips.

Sephiroth saw the expression that Vincent was wearing as he stared at him. Seeing that his father was at least conscious, he turned off the water and then picked Vincent up, disregarding the fact that he was wet.

As Sephiroth carried him, Vincent closed his eyes and continued to smile. _I've never seen an angel before…I must really be dead this time. I wonder where he's carrying me? God, I feel so good right now…_

Once beside the bed, Sephiroth unceremoniously dropped Vincent upon it.

Being dropped so rudely snapped Vincent out of his hallucination. He realized he was freezing and staring up at his son. "Sephiroth?"

Annoyed by the entire situation and the fact that he was nearly as wet as Vincent, Sephiroth crossed his arms over his chest. "Idiot."

_You better thank him, Vincent. You were just about to die. You _are_ an idiot. _Chaos, exhausted from having kept Vincent alive for the last few hours, then went dormant, needing to rest.

Vincent tried to sit up, but he was physically too weak and the attempt did no more than flop him over onto his side. "Damn it."

"How much of your precious ferium did you just waste with that little trick?" Sephiroth asked, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"As much as it should have taken to kill me." Vincent resolved that he couldn't move for the time being and just went limp.

"And what prompted this suicide attempt, if I may be so bold as to ask?"

"Tifa had her baby, and it looks like Cid." Vincent closed his eyes.

"You're supposedly beyond caring about her and all of that thanks to the ferium, I thought." Sephiroth wondered if Vincent was perhaps more feeling than he had let on.

"It had been a long time since I'd had a dose. I let my feelings get the better of me. I won't make that mistake again," Vincent replied quietly.

"Which is to say you still intend to finish the mission given to you?" Sephiroth asked.

"Yes."

_Damn it. _Sephiroth took a deep breath. "Well, don't try it again, or at least if you do, make it quicker."

"Fine." Vincent was tired and wanted no more than to sleep.

Seeing that his father was drifting off, Sephiroth got up. "I will leave you alone. Be more careful."

"Okay." Vincent managed to reach out and pull a pillow closer to him.

Sephiroth turned off the light and left the room. As he went back to Jeanine, he admonished himself for not just letting Vincent die. He wanted to believe that his drive to save him had been no more than the compulsion given to him by the Jenova in his body, but that wasn't the _entire_ truth, even though Sephiroth wasn't yet willing to admit it.

-----------------------

Visiting hours at the hospital were ending, and Cid began feeling pressured by the nurses to leave. He had sat all day long with Tifa and the baby, and intended to stay until someone came by to get the information for the birth certificate. He hadn't asked Tifa what she planned on naming the baby, but he wanted to know.

Finally, someone arrived with the paperwork. "Congratulations on your new baby."

Tifa smiled, presently holding the infant to her chest. "Thanks."

"Okay, so I have down on the record that she weighed six pounds, one ounce, sixteen inches long, born at one-forty-seven in the afternoon. Is that all correct?" She asked, setting the papers out before her on a table in the room.

"Yes," Tifa replied.

"All right, and since it says on your admission papers that you're married, I assume that her last name is Vatatsi?" She looked over at Tifa.

She felt her cheeks go red and she looked at Cid. "Uh…"

If this was really his baby, then he wanted her to have his last name. "Tifa…"

Tifa knit her brow and looked over at the woman. "No, her father's last name is Highwind."

The woman set her pen down. "Your husband isn't the father?"

Tifa's shame was obvious. "No, we don't think so."

"By law, if the parentage of a child is in question, we are required to run a paternity test," she said flatly.

Tifa, never having bothered to learn about the local laws regarding such things, was caught off guard. "Oh…"

"Such a test would take a few days to complete. The birth certificate has to be filled out within forty-eight hours of the child's birth. If I were you, I would put your own last name on the form, Mrs. Vatatsi. If the paternity test comes back showing that someone other than your husband is the father, you can change the baby's name at anytime during the next two weeks." She shuffled through the papers she'd brought, pulling out a pamphlet regarding paternity testing, which she handed to Tifa.

"All right, we'll do that, then." Tifa set the information she'd just been given down on the bed beside her.

"Good." The woman picked her pen back up. "And what is her first name?"

Tifa felt the sting of tears in her eyes. She would at least make one small gesture toward Vincent. "Charlotte."

"I like that," the woman said, writing it down. "And a middle name?"

Tifa openly smiled, and glanced over at her friend. "Cidelle."

"All right, Charlotte Cidelle Vatatsi, it is, unless you change your mind." She picked up her papers and left the room.

Cid stood at Tifa's bedside and stroked her cheek. "Cidelle, huh? Where'd you come up with that?"

She laughed quietly to herself, not wanting to wake the baby that had now fallen asleep. "I haven't the slightest idea."

"When the test comes up with me as the father, are you going to change her last name?" Cid asked.

"Yeah."

Cid smiled. "Cool. If you're okay, I think I'll head to the house and get the boys. I'll be back in the morning."

She reached up and pulled him down for a brief kiss. "Okay, I'll see you in the morning, then."

He gave her a smile and then bent down once more, giving the baby a kiss on the top of the head. "Bye."

Before he left the room, he stopped and looked back over his shoulder. He wanted to take this mental image of Tifa there holding his newborn daughter with him. Unable to stop himself, he spoke up. "Tiff?"

She still had her eyes upon him. "Yeah?"

Cid nodded slightly to himself. "I love you."

Tifa grinned. "I love you, too."

-----------------------

Cid pulled up to the house where they'd dropped the boys off earlier. As he made his way to the door, he felt a small spike of fear. In all the excitement of the day, he'd completely forgotten what had happened with Aaron the night before. He hoped that everything had gone well.

He knocked on the door, and an old woman answered. Cid gave her a polite smile. "I'm here to pick up the kids."

She nodded. Tifa had called from the hospital to let her know that he was on his way. "Oh, you're Tifa's friend. Just a moment, I'll go get the boys."

Feeling relieved that nothing had probably happened, Cid waited out on the porch. A few seconds later, the boys appeared and they made their way toward the car. Cid turned to follow them, but the woman stopped him. "Mr. Highwind, is it?"

He turned and faced her as Aaron and L.C. climbed into the car. "Yeah?"

She took a few steps closer to him. "Vincent's off on some sort of business trip, Tifa said."

Cid scratched the back of his head and shrugged. He would go along with Tifa's lie. "Sure."

"Well, I'm glad you could be with her." She smiled briefly, and then motioned toward the car. "Not to be nosey or anything, but Aaron's eyes…well, I was wondering what happened?"

_Think quick! You can't tell her that the little fucker has a demon running around inside his head, Cid. _He looked over at the car, seeing the boys already strapped into the back seat. "Yeah, uh, we're takin' him to the eye doctor to go get that checked."

"Oh, I see." She seemed to accept the answer. "Well, if you need me to look after them again, just stop by. I'm always here."

"Okay, thanks." Cid made his way back to the car and got in.

"Well?" Aaron asked, breaking the silence as they went down the road.

Cid glanced up into the rearview mirror, seeing Aaron sitting behind him with his arms folded over his chest. "What's up, kid?"

"How's my mom?"

"Oh," Cid sighed, "she's doing just fine. She had a little girl."

_You know what you have to ask him, Aaron, _his inner demon growled.

Aaron kept his gaze fixed on Cid's back. He wasn't going to simply ask, he was going to flat out say it in his own way. "So, L.C. and I are big brothers, then?"

L.C. scowled and looked at Aaron. "Shut up, Spaz. I ain't got no sister."

Aaron's red eyes narrowed. "I bet you do."

Cid pulled the car over and put it in park, then turning around to face Aaron. "You think you're real fucking clever, don't you?"

Aaron cocked his head to the side. "Look Cid, I know, and your reaction more or less confirms it. You're my sister's dad, aren't you?"

L.C. swatted Aaron in the arm. "Don't talk to my dad like that! He's not your sister's dad!"

Cid couldn't blatantly lie in front of his own son and he hung his head. "Look boys, you're all going to live together with Tifa after I'm gone so you're all going to be in the same family. You're all gonna be siblings more or less anyway."

L.C., not being as painfully intelligent as Aaron, didn't exactly get the connotation. "Yeah, but she still ain't really my sister."

Cid met his son's gaze, his disappointment in himself evident. "L.C., I know this is messed up and hard for you to understand, but she _is_ your sister, kid."

The blond boy looked over at his friend, searching for help.

Aaron slowly turned to face him. "I told you, I saw your dad and my mom doing it, L.C. He got her pregnant. That's _your_ sister."

L.C. felt tears in his eyes. He had never been ashamed of his father before, and didn't know how to handle it. Although he was young, he knew that all of this was still wrong-- very wrong. "Dad? How could you do something like this?"

Cid dropped his gaze away. "I'm sorry, L.C. I didn't do it to hurt you."

"But you have hurt him, Cid," Aaron shot back as he watched his friend begin crying.

Aaron was working on Cid's last nerve. Instead of seeing him as a little boy, the pilot thought of him as nothing more than a smaller, but equally trying version of Vincent, and he was not in the mood. "Shut up you little fucker."

Aaron cocked an eyebrow. "Very nice, way to talk to a kid."

Cid had to fight the urge to reach back and smack the boy. "I've had enough of you, Aaron. When we get home, you're going to your God damned room and you're staying there."

"And now you're going to try and order me around as though you were my father and had some sort of authority over me? Could this get any better?" Aaron's anger was being bolstered by the demon within him, making him far bolder than he normally was.

Cid snapped and he moved to reach back and strike Aaron.

L.C. saw this and shrieked, "Dad! Stop it!"

Catching himself just in time, Cid turned back around, placing both of his hands upon the steering wheel. He was shaking in his frustration and shame. The pilot had never been one to hit a kid, and even when L.C. had gotten in real trouble over the years, he'd found it incredibly hard to spank him in punishment. The realization that he had almost just hauled off and decked a six-year-old cut through him. _What am I fucking doing? He's not Vincent, God damn it. He's just a kid whose confused and hurt right now. I don't want to be around this little bastard, though. He hates me and he's gonna keep trying to piss me off just for the fun of it like his old man. I can't handle this right now._

Cid put the car back in drive and started back down the road. He just wanted to get to the house.

Aaron's inner demon was giving him a power over adults that he'd never enjoyed before, and he smiled.


	14. Chapter 14

The reviews you guys are leaving are cracking me up. I just wanted y'all to know that. You're funny f guys.

Chapter 14

Brad was standing outside the hanger doors, staring up at the sky. The airship had arrived back home after being gone for several days and he stood there watching it prepare to land.

Once it was on the ground, various people began to file off of it. One of them caught his eye and he ran over toward her. "Hey, Jingles!"

The female mechanic huffed and continued walking, not wanting anything to do with Brad. He reminded her just too damn much of Cid.

He managed to catch up with her and he grabbed her arm. "Come on, Jin!"

She stopped and faced him, eyes blazing. "What in the hell do you want?"

"Drop the bitch act, Jin." Brad let go of her arm. "I need to talk to you."

"Oh really?" She figured that there was nothing that the chopper pilot could possibly have to say to her that she wanted to hear.

Brad frowned. Getting through to her had always been hard, and he had no idea how Cid had managed to do it at all. "Let's go into the hanger for a sec."

"Look, chopper boy, I'm busy and don't have time for this crap." Jin crossed her arms over her chest, donning her usual annoyed expression.

"I have to tell you something about Cid, Jin." He turned and started walking, figuring that she would follow.

Whether she wanted to admit it or not, she was hungry for any information about the pilot. She may have run out on him when he had proposed, but she was still very much in love with him. She followed.

Once in the hanger, Brad went over to his workbench and sat down. He opened the ice chest upon it and pulled out two beer bottles, handing one to Jin as she sat beside him. "I've been waiting to run into you for a while."

"Like I said, I'm busy." She flipped the cap off of her bottle and took a swig.

"Okay." Brad did the same before continuing. "I, uh, got some really bad news about Cid a while back, and I was wondering if you knew what was going on with him?"

She hadn't spoken with Cid since the night he had proposed, being too afraid to call him. Jin's eyes went wide and she met Brad's gaze. "What happened to him?"

Brad knit his brow. "Highwind has cancer, Jin."

Her bottle fell from her hand and hit the floor, shattering. She wasn't able to respond for several moments. Jin felt like she had just been hit in the stomach with a baseball bat. "Wh…what?"

"He's dying, Jin." Brad disregarded the mess that was now staining the hanger floor. Jin was entitled to her reaction. "He's just got a few months."

She began to shake and slid from the stool, getting to her feet. "Oh God…"

Brad set his bottle down upon the workbench and got up. Against his better judgement, he dared to put his arms around the female mechanic. "I'm sorry to have to be the one to tell you, Jin."

Jin proceeded to do something completely out of character. She placed her arms around Brad in return and began to cry. Cancer seemed to be the bane of her life. It had been cancer that had claimed both of her parents, and her own bout with the disease had stolen her ability to have children many years before. Now, the man she loved was suffering from it, too. She suddenly felt that much worse for having left Cid hanging all of this time.

Jin had gotten scared when he had proposed to her all those months ago. She had wanted to stay with Cid, but the thought of being legally committed to him had brought up the memories of her parents' stormy and ill-fated marriage. Part of her had figured that their relationship had done well enough over the years, so why change anything? There had been a few points in their relationship where they had temporarily broken up and not spoken for a few months at a time. Getting married to someone with whom she had such a turbulent relationship with wasn't something she figured was a good idea, but she had never stopped loving Cid. In fact, she'd wanted to call him or go to him badly over the past few months, but her stubborn pride had just gotten in the way. Every message that he had left on her answering machine had broken her heart-- and she hadn't erased any of them. She had missed him, and now knowing that he was dying made her regret her actions. "What am I going to do?"

Brad brought her out to arm's length. Part of him had only wanted to tell her in order to get her to go to Cid, and possibly get them back together so Tifa might go back to Vincent. Having seen Vincent's reaction upon telling him that his wife was with Cid had shown Brad that Vincent still loved Tifa and wanted her back. This was all far more manipulative and planned out than Brad tended to be, but the fact of the matter was that although he liked Cid, he didn't like that he was with another man's wife. It just wasn't right. "I'll tell you what you're gonna do, Jin. You're going to call him and then you're going to go see him. Once you're with him, you're going to get him out of the fucking mess he's gotten himself into, and then you're going to spend his last days together. How about that?"

She knit her brow. "What fucking mess has he gotten into?"

He realized that the following information might just turn Jin off from reconciling with Cid, but he had to put it out there. "Vincent and Tifa were having some trouble, and now Cid's basically living with her, I guess."

Jin narrowed her eyes. She had come to like Tifa over the years, but on some level, she'd always known that Cid was far too attached to her. "Oh _really_?"

Brad let his arms fall away from her. "That probably makes you not want to talk to him, huh?"

She scoffed. "Actually, it makes me want to go out there, kick Tifa's bitch ass and then drag Cid home where he belongs…with me."

Her stubbornness was going to serve Brad's purpose it seemed and he smiled. "Well, maybe if you leave the part about beating up Tifa out, I'll support your decision."

"I want to call him." Jin crossed her arms over her chest. There was no way that she was going to let Tifa keep _her_ man.

Having been waiting for this moment, Brad already had a copy of Vincent's home phone number in his pocket and he pulled it out, handing it to her. "That's the number. Go on."

Jin looked at the paper for a moment, before turning and storming out. She had things to do. As she walked out of the hanger, she did another uncharacteristic thing. "Thanks, Brad."

-----------------------

Cid had taken the boys to the old woman's house again that morning and had traveled to the hospital to see Tifa. A blood sample had been taken from him for the paternity test, and he now sported a small bandage over the vein in his left arm. He'd sat holding Charlotte while Tifa had taken a much-needed nap. Apparently, the baby had kept her up most of the night. Once Tifa awoke, it was getting into the afternoon.

As she sat in the hospital bed nursing the baby, she looked over at Cid. "How are the boys doing? What did you tell them last night?"

Cid knit his brow, recalling the hard time that Aaron had been giving him. "They're okay. Damien hasn't grown a tail yet or anything."

"Cid!" Tifa instantly looked angry. "You remember what I told you about saying things like that about Aaron!"

He rolled his eyes, not appreciating the reprimand. If she had been there to hear what Aaron had said, he was fairly sure she would have smacked the kid herself. "He doesn't like me, Tiff. You are aware of that, right?"

"Aaron's going through a pretty rough time right now, Cid. I would hope that you could be a little more understanding." Tifa turned her gaze down at the baby.

"Yeah, well, I wish you could hear what he's said to me when you're not around," Cid sighed. "But yeah, I told them last night that you'd had a girl."

She could tell that there was something he was holding back. "And?"

He crossed his arms over his chest. "Aaron called me on the fact that it's not only his sister, but L.C.'s, too."

Tifa's jaw dropped. Her son's insight pained her, but she wasn't completely surprised-- afterall, Aaron was different than other kids. "Crap."

"Understatement of the year, Tiff." Cid shrugged. "They would've all figured it out sooner or later anyway."

"I guess so." She looked over at the small bandage on his arm. "How long until they get the results of that?"

He shrugged. "Something like a week. They said the lab was really backed up with stuff."

"Okay, if we've got two weeks to change the birth certificate, then that should be fine." Tifa once more turned her attention to the baby.

"I asked them what would happen if it took longer than that. They said we could still change the baby's name, but it would cost like two hundred gil." Cid reached down and pulled the bandage off of his arm, figuring that he no longer needed it.

Money wasn't an issue for Tifa, or at least, she hoped it still wasn't. A small wave of anxiety ran over her. There was a chance that Vincent would take her off of the bank account now, denying her anymore cash. This quickly passed though, since she realized that as long as she had Aaron, he wouldn't do such a thing. "Hey, Cid?"

"Yeah?"

"I still need to call you-know-who about seeing if they can do anything for Aaron." She glanced over at him, reluctant to say Reno or ASRIO outside of the house.

"Right." Cid looked thoughtful. "You want me to call them when I get home?"

Although she wanted to talk to Reno about this herself, she realized that she shouldn't call him from here, and time was probably important in this situation. "That would be great, Cid."

-----------------------

Vincent sat at his desk, entering numbers into the computer as per his supposed job. He had been waiting for Reno to blow off and leave his desk, and that moment finally arrived.

Reno got up and stretched. "I'm gonna go home for a while and see what Angel's up to. Wanna come with?"

Vincent flashed him a glance, and produced a sincere looking smile. "Actually, I'd like to get at least this first report here finished, so go on without me. Tell Angel hello."

"All right, your loss, Vinny." Reno wasn't all that surprised that Vincent had turned him down. "I'll be back later. Don't go giving yourself carpal tunnel or whatever people that work too hard get."

"An affliction you will never need worry about," Vincent shot back.

"You're a funny fuckin' guy. See 'ya later." Reno shoved his hands in his pockets and strolled out.

_Finally! Let's get to work._

Vincent brought up a search box, and entered in a few words. The results were provided and he read through the list, seeing that the documents that had come up were not what he was looking for, until he spotted the last one, titled _Complete Contact List._ Vincent opened this file and smiled.

Displayed before him were the names of everyone associated with the organization, and the means of contacting them-- agents, handlers, plants, specialists, and those associated with them. Everyone was here that he knew as he scrolled down the list, including himself, Tifa, and Cid.

Vincent looked around the room, to see if anyone was paying any attention to him at all, but it didn't seem like anyone was. He copied the entire file onto a blank word processing program. He made one small modification to the list by removing Tifa and Cid's names. He didn't want Aaron to lose his mother, and he wanted to take care of Cid on his own. That done, he reached down into his desk, pulling out a blank CD. Vincent casually slipped the disc into the drive on the computer, and hit save. The light on the drive flashed on, and Vincent realized that the information was being burned onto the CD. Within a few moments, it was done and he opened the drive and pulled out the disc. He slipped it back into its case and pulled his cloak from the back of his chair. Vincent then placed the CD into the inner pocket of his cloak. It was done, and nobody had noticed.

_That was a cakewalk, Vincent. _Chaos purred with pleasure. _I hope that Peirte gives us something good for this. We are going to kill Reno when we leave though, right?_

Vincent smiled to himself, and in his drug-altered state, he went ahead and replied aloud. "You bet your sweet ass we are."

-----------------------

Sephiroth heard a knock on the door and went to answer. Jeanine was presently in the bathroom taking a shower. Upon opening the door, he spotted Vincent.

"I was just letting you know to be ready to leave the base in the morning." Vincent had his cloak draped over his arm.

Sephiroth's cat like eyes went wide. "You…you've got the requested material?"

Vincent simply nodded. "And I thought that we should go in the morning, early before there's much going on around here."

This was his last chance to stop this impending tragedy. Sephiroth glanced back over his shoulder to make sure that Jeanine was still in the bathroom. As he scanned the room, he spotted his wife's laptop computer sitting in its bag on the bed. He got an idea. "Do you have the information with you?"

Vincent reached into his cloak and pulled out the CD in its case. "Yes."

"Let me have it tonight. Jeanine has her computer here, and I can make a copy of it. That way, we can both have the information and we can travel back separately. That will give us a better shot at getting this to our mutual friend." Sephiroth looked up and down the hall, making sure that no one was around.

Vincent was reluctant to hand over the CD, but Sephiroth had a valid idea, and he hadn't given him any reason to doubt him yet. He quickly passed the CD to his son. "I'll be by in the morning to retrieve that. It's probably best that it not be with me tonight anyway, just in case someone gets suspicious and decides to search my room."

Sephiroth nodded. "Agreed. I'll see you in the morning, then."

"All right." Vincent walked away, on the way to needing another fix.

-----------------------

Cid had gone back to the house with the boys. He was sitting in the kitchen finishing the dinner he'd made for the kids and himself. Luckily for him, Aaron seemed to be on his good behavior for the moment. After putting his plate in the sink, he went over and picked up the phone, dialing Reno's number.

"What?"

"Reno, it's Cid," he said, stepping out the back door so he could have this conversation without the boys listening.

"Hey, so how's fucking Tifa? I asked Vinny that before, but he wasn't very forth coming, if you can imagine." Reno knew that if Cid had been here in person, he never would have had the nerve to say such a thing to him.

"Reno, I don't need none of your shit right now." Cid sat down on the back steps. "Look, I was calling you for something serious."

By the pilot's tone, Reno realized that something heavy really was going on. "What's that?"

Cid stared down at the grass. "Look, your guys were able to get that Chaos thing out of Vincent with some medication, right?"

"Yeah, you were there, you know how it worked." Reno landed on his couch.

"Well, Tifa was hoping that your guys could make more of that stuff."

Reno was confused. "Why?"

Cid shrugged even though he was on the phone. "Well, uh, I know this is gonna sound crazy, but Sue's boy, Aaron, is sorta freaking out. His eyes have turned red and he's getting real fucking unpleasant. He's got one of those things in him like his God damned dad."

Reno didn't know what to say at first. "Wait, we cured Vincent of that shit way before he knocked Tifa up with Aaron! The guys said something like this wouldn't happen!"

"I don't know what to tell you, guy." Cid brought his gaze up toward the sunset. "The kid's got some version of Chaos in him, and we need to nail it before he hurts someone."

Reno ran a hand through his fiery hair. "Okay, I'll go talk to they guys and get them on this. Vinny would probably like to know, too."

Cid was happy that he was going to be spared breaking the news to Vincent. "Yeah, you do that. Good luck not getting your fucking head ripped off for it."

"Naw, he wouldn't freak out on me too bad. You've made the rest of us look real good in comparison, Cid. I've finally passed you on the Vinny popularity list." Reno smiled to himself, knowing that he was angering the pilot.

"Yeah, just get it taken care of. I don't want to have to fight some fucking miniature Chaos." Cid pulled the phone from his ear and hung up.

"Wow…" Reno stared at the phone in his hand for several minutes. This was big news. He resolved that he needed to go back to the base and see Quigley and Porter. "Hey, Babe!"

Angel came around the corner from the kitchen. "What's going on?"

"I'm gonna go back to the base for a bit." Reno slid his phone back into his pocket.

"Why?" Angel put her hands on her hips. "Dinner's almost ready!"

"Yeah, but that was Cid and he needs me to do something." Reno took a few steps closer to her.

Angel rolled her eyes. She knew that Cid was staying with Tifa, but that was it. "What's going on?"

Reno knew that this was yet more information that Vincent wouldn't want him to give to his daughter. "I can't really talk about it, but I won't be gone long."

She gave up. Her husband had been cryptic lately, obviously hiding things from her, but Angel let it slide. He was just weird like this sometimes. "Fine. Your plate will be in the fridge when you get home."

He went and gave her a quick kiss. "Thanks, Babe. I love you."

Angel gave him a smile. "Yeah, I love you, too."

-----------------------

Jeanine came out from her shower, seeing Sephiroth sitting with her computer upon his lap. "What are you up to?"

Sephiroth had been looking at the information on the disc, debating what to do with it. Just as Vincent had said, it contained the names of everyone involved with ASRIO, and Jeanine's name was on that list just as he'd suspected. He brought his gaze up to her. "I was just messing around."

She went over and sat on the edge of the bed, getting to the task of brushing her hair while it was still wet. "You know, I had to leave Mideel so quickly that I forgot some really important things, but by God, I grabbed my computer. Funny, huh?"

Sephiroth narrowed his eyes. "What did you forget that was important?"

Jeanine instantly flushed red and looked away. "Well, I probably should have mentioned this already, but, uh, I sort of forgot my birth control pills."

He quit moving completely. "Are you serious?"

She smiled shyly. "Well, when I first got here, it wasn't really an issue since you were in that lab."

Sephiroth set the computer aside for the moment and got up. "Jeanine, you have no idea what a child from me in this state would be like! The Jenova could cause something to happen!"

"Well, you didn't tell me that you weren't _you_ when you first got here! I'll go see Janice tomorrow and have her check me out and get me back on something." She suddenly felt bad for not having said anything about this before now.

He narrowed his eyes. "So, you don't think anything has actually happened, then?"

Jeanine honestly didn't think anything had. "You usually have to be off of them for a while before your body adjusts and you can get pregnant."

"Yes, but I've heard all kinds of horror stories about women forgetting just one pill and getting pregnant!" Sephiroth was not well for the thought.

"Horror stories? You really think having a baby would be that bad?" Jeanine suddenly had tears in her eyes. She'd wanted a baby for the last few years, but Jaras had always seemed rather indifferent. Now, the truth was coming out. He hadn't really wanted children at all.

Sephiroth saw the change in her composure and he immediately felt terrible. "I'm sorry, I didn't intend for it to sound like that, Jeanine. Jaras just wasn't ready for that kind of thing, and now with the Jenova in me, well, it could be disastrous."

"Well, thanks to your constant delaying, I'm probably too old to have a baby now anyway, so don't worry about it." Jeanine tossed her hairbrush to the floor, no longer caring about getting herself fixed up.

Sephiroth was at a loss. He went over and sat at her side and put his arm around her shoulders. "I'm sorry, Jeanine."

She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "Don't worry about it. I had no business bringing a child into this sort of situation anyway."

He sighed heavily and pulled her close. Upsetting her had been the last thing he'd wanted to do. "Not to change the subject, but do you have any blank CD's for your computer?"

Jeanine looked up at him and cocked an eyebrow.

-----------------------

Cid was sitting watching television with the boys. When the phone in the kitchen rang, he went to go answer, thinking that it would be Reno. "Yeah?"

It had taken Jin all day to muster the guts to call him, and she hesitated for a moment. "Cid?"

"Oh…" He went over and landed in a chair at the table, feeling his heart race. "Jin? How…how are you?"

Merely hearing his voice made her smile. "I'm okay. Look, I'm really sorry about what happened."

Cid donned a pained expression as the memory of her apparent rejection hit him. "Well, I'm sure you had your reasons."

"Brad…" She had to stop for a moment. "Brad told me today that you're sick."

He could hear the tears in her voice. "Yeah, I am."

"Cid," her voice was wavering badly, "I'm so sorry."

"It's okay. There's nothing that can be done, I'm just along for the ride at this point." Cid leaned forward onto the table, his heart aching for her again. Inside, he admonished himself. He'd thought he was over her, but now, sitting here and talking to her, everything was coming back up. _You just yelled at Tifa the other day for not being able to let go, and just look at you, Highwind. What the fuck is wrong with you? And you gave poor Tifa that lecture about not giving you all of her heart, and here you are, still in love with Jin. You're a fuckin' hypocrite._

"Cid, I should have called you sooner." Jin was lying upon her small bed in her cabin on the airship. "I should have talked to you about things."

Cid knit his brow. "Jin, why did you run away?"

She gazed up at the ceiling. "Well, I was scared."

"Scared of what?"

"Not having the freedom to just be able to run away whenever I wanted to. I mean, you know how we had been, off and on again over the years. Part of me felt that it was those occasional breaks that kept us able to deal with one another. But if we'd gotten married, well, I figured that we wouldn't be able to take those times off, you know?" Jin draped an arm over her eyes, not wanting to cry anymore.

"So, your solution to not being able to run away was to run away?" Cid almost smiled. "Pardon me, but that's fucked up."

"I know." She sighed. "So, I've heard that you're with Tifa now. Wanna explain that to me?"

"Well, I'm sorta with her, at least, I was…hell, I don't know. I'm really fucking confused right now." Cid slumped in his seat.

"What's been going on?" she asked.

"Remember that last big fight we had and then that break up we had about seven, eight months ago?"

"Yeah." Jin thought back, remembering the nightmarish fight the two of them had gone through then.

"During that break, I came out here and stayed with Tifa while Vincent was in Wutai." Cid closed his eyes to remember.

She knew at least that much. "So you said."

"Well, when I was here back then, I sort of…damn it, Jin, you're gonna hang up when I tell you." Cid's voice betrayed his stress.

He'd acted strangely after they'd gotten back together following that break, and she'd already suspected this all along. "So you finally gave in and did it, huh? That was inevitable, I guess."

Cid was confused that she didn't sound that upset. "You're not just going to let me have it?"

She outright laughed. "No. What in the hell do you think I did during that break?"

This caught his attention. "Excuse me?"

"Oh Cid, I was so pissed off that I came back here and I, oh man, this is embarrassing!" Jin felt herself turn red.

"Who was it?" Cid was ready to learn the name of the man whose ass he needed to kick.

Jin had to make her confession. "Quigley…and Ericson."

Cid nearly died. "Both of them? Holy shit, Jin, at least tell me that it wasn't at the same time!"

"No, of course not." Jin laughed. "So, I'm just as bad as you, I guess."

"Maybe." Cid huffed. "I got her pregnant, Jin."

She sat bolt upright. "You got her pregnant!"

"Yeah, and she just had the baby yesterday."

This was a little more than she'd anticipated. "Well, that's uh…wow."

"Yeah," Cid closed his eyes again, knowing how much this was hurting her. "So, I'm kinda obligated to stay here for a while."

"I'd guess so." Jin was disappointed. Her chances of getting back together with him during his final months just dropped to zero. "So, you're gonna carry on with Tifa between now and…"

"Actually, Jin, things with Tifa aren't that easy. She's really hung up on Vincent, and I guess…I guess I still love you." Cid braced for her reaction.

"You still love me?"

"Yeah, I do." Cid smiled faintly. "And what about you?"

"I've loved you all along." Jin felt tears in her eyes again. "I can't believe all of this."

"I know, me neither." Cid thought about something for a moment. "When I die, I'm leaving L.C. here with Tifa, or at least I planned to since I didn't think I'd ever hear from you again."

L.C. had been damn near like a son to her. She'd been there since he was an infant, and she had missed the boy almost as much as Cid. The thought that when Cid passed that L.C. was going to be left with someone other than her hurt. "Oh…okay."

"Jin, would you want him?" Cid asked, knowing that if she said yes that it would really be up to L.C.

"I probably hurt him by leaving like I did, Cid. I'd think that he wouldn't want to be around me." Jin sat back down on the edge of the bed.

"To tell you the truth, he's asked about you a bunch of times. Keeps asking if you were ever coming back home. I've only been able to tell him that I didn't know. He loves you, Jin. You've been his mother for all intensive purposes." Cid got up from the table. "Hold on a second, okay?"

"Sure."

The pilot went out into the family room. "Hey, L.C.? Come here for a minute."

The boy got up and followed his dad into the kitchen. "What's up?"

Cid held the phone out to his son.

L.C. shrugged and took the phone, wondering who it could be. "Hello?"

Upon hearing the boy's voice, Jin smiled and the tears returned. "Hey L.C., how are you?"

The boy's eyes went wide and a grin lit up his face. "Hey Jin! Whatcha doing?"

"Oh, I was just talking to your dad." She longed to see him in person.

"Jin…are you comin' back?" L.C. turned his eyes up to his father.

"If your dad wants me to," she said back.

"I want you to." The boy had missed her terribly. "It's really sucked since you left. I want to go home and have you there…like it used to be."

"I'll see what I can do." She was touched by his desires.

"Okay. Wanna talk to my dad some more?"

"Sure." Jin smiled again. "Bye."

"Bye. Here's Dad." L.C. held the phone back up to his father.

Cid took it. He reached out and mussed his son's hair. "See, the kid loves you."

"Well, I love him, Cid. I always have." Jin sighed.

"Jin, I should probably go and put the boys to bed, but can you call me tomorrow night? I really want to talk to you some more." Cid wanted to see if he could salvage anything with her. Things with Tifa were just proving to be too difficult. Besides, he wasn't sure that he could cope with Aaron for the next four months of his life. Jin might just be his excuse to get away.

"Sure. Should I call at this same time?" she asked.

"Yeah, that would be great."

"All right. I'll talk to you then, Cid." She smiled faintly. "I love you."

"I love you too, woman." Cid sighed. "Bye."

"Bye."

-----------------------

Reno got to the base and went to the lab. He had a pretty good feeling that he'd find the men he was looking for there.

Quigley and Porter were both still working despite the hour, trying to crack the latest encrypted information that had been spirited out of a Shinra lab. They heard him enter and turned to him.

"Reno, what's up?" Porter asked, walking toward him with a hint of a limp forever in his step.

"Well, I sort of got a weird call a while ago, and I needed to see you two," Reno said, falling into an empty chair.

"What's going on?" Quigley asked, getting up and nearing his boss.

"Apparently, Vinny's little boy Aaron is, well, I guess he's starting to develop something like Chaos inside of him." Reno began pushing some buttons on a small device left on the counter.

Not wanting their latest toy broken, Quigley quickly snatched the small device and placed it well out of Reno's reach. He had a tendency to break things. That done, he crossed his arms over his chest. "Wait, there's no way he should have been able to pass that on from what we thought. Any ideas, Porter?"

The former Turk leaned against the counter and became pensive. "I don't know. From what it said in the research, that drug we gave Vincent to combat Chaos should have destroyed the demon's RNA that had been injected into his body. Once that was completely done, he shouldn't have been able to pass it on-- there shouldn't have been anything of that demon left within him."

Quigley nodded in agreement. "Yeah, the only thing I can think of is that maybe somehow the drug lysed some of the demon's RNA but not all of it. I mean, maybe it just went after the sequences that allowed Vincent's body to transform, but other parts of the demon might have remained."

"Yeah, and Vincent never complained about anything like that, right?" Porter looked over at Reno, knowing that he knew Vincent best.

"I guess not." Reno had noticed some small changes in Vincent over the years, but they could most likely be contributed to time passing alone. "But he must have kept something of that demon within him, because they said that Aaron's eyes turned red the other day, and it would seem that he's becoming a handful."

"Wow, I don't know." Quigley shook his head. "We'll have to think about this one, but in the meanwhile, we can dig the formula for the drug back up so we can give it to the boy and prevent his demon from taking over. Although, I have no idea what sort of side effects it's going to have on a kid like that."

"I don't see that we've got a choice," Reno sighed. "I mean, if that poor kid has to go through all the bullshit of dealing with what Vincent had to with that thing, he'll either end up dead or just as fucked as his daddy, and he don't need that."

"Yeah, you're right." Porter looked over at Quigley. "We should probably get on that, then."

Quigley nodded. Working on anything right now was a welcomed thing. It kept him from dwelling on his brother's death.

Satisfied that they were going to do what they could, Reno got up and let himself out of the lab. He knew that it was time to go give Vincent the news.

Once before Vincent's door, Reno knocked.

From within, came Vincent's muffled response. "Just a minute."

Reno, ever impatient, reached down and tried the doorknob, opting to let himself it. He threw open the door and saw Vincent sitting on the couch with his left sleeve pulled up, and a needle in his right hand, injecting something into his vein. "Vinny? What the fuck are you doin'?"

Vincent immediately grew angry and pulled the empty syringe from his arm. "Get out!"

Reno wasn't about to go anywhere and he walked closer. "Vinny?"

Upset at having been caught, Vincent hastily tried to get his ferium kit back together and hidden away, but as he tried, the vial of the drug fell to the floor and rolled over to where Reno was now standing.

The ASRIO leader bent down and picked up the vial, seeing it's contents. "Aw, Vinny! You're…you're chasing the blue fucking dragon?"

He got up and snagged the vial from Reno's hands. "Don't worry about it, Reno. I've got it under control."

"After what just happened to Spencer the other day, you think I'm just gonna pretend that I didn't see this?" Reno motioned toward the vial in Vincent's hand.

"I said it's under control." Vincent didn't feel the need to explain any of this to Reno. "Get out!"

"No, you need help if you're fucking with this shit, Vinny." Reno narrowed his eyes. "You can't be doing this sort of thing! I just got some news about your boy, and you're not going to be any help to him if you kill yourself with ferium!"

Vincent locked into his gaze. "What's wrong with my son?"

"Cid just called me a while ago. I guess Aaron's got your same Chaos demon living inside of him." Reno waited for the reaction.

_He's just trying to manipulate your feelings, Vincent, _Chaos snarled.

Vincent laughed. "That's the best thing you could come up with?"

Reno shook his head. "It's the truth! I've got Porter and Quig working on a batch of that drug to get it out of him."

"Well, if that's the case, then tell them to stop, because that drug is a waste of fucking time." Vincent didn't care if he made Reno angry at this point. He had what he'd come for and could leave at any time.

"What do you mean it was a waste of time?" Reno asked, suddenly very curious.

"I mean, although it took away his ability to change my body, he's still been in my God damned mind driving me insane all of these years. Chaos ruined my marriage and my life. I've got nothing to live for thanks to him. I would have been better off just dead. I don't want Aaron to go through what I have. Find another way to help him." Vincent's concern for his son burned through his recent dose of ferium.

Reno was suddenly very afraid. Knowing that Vincent was on ferium, he had no idea if he could trust what Vincent was saying, and he supposed that Vincent, like Spencer, had been placed on this drug by Shinra. He began to back out of the room.

Vincent cocked his head. "Where are you going, Reno?"

"I need to just go take care of some things." He tried to look calmer than he felt.

_God, Vincent! Can't you just smell the fear coming off of him!_

Just bide your time, Chaos. We're not killing him, yet. We have to get that CD back in our hands, first. Vincent tried to seem more pleasant. "If they can help my son, Reno, then have them do it."

"Okay. Just…just stay here, all right, Vinny?" Reno was finally backed up against the door.

He forced a false smile. "Of course."

Reno slipped out of the room. He ran down the hall, trembling in his anxiety. This was wrong, everything about this situation was wrong. He didn't know what to do, and he turned to his only source for help. He stood in front of a seldom-used door and pulled out the silver key that he always kept in his pocket and unlocked it.

Once inside, he turned on the light and relocked the door. He looked around the room. It was exactly the same as it had been the last time that Tseng had left it. The smell of Tseng's cologne was still evident in the air, and it made Reno smile. "You here?"

There was, of course, no answer.

Reno went over and sat on the vacant couch. "Tseng, I don't know what to fuckin' do right now."

Silence.

"Your brother's been hooked on ferium. Everything just got really complicated. Spencer just died from the same shit." Reno pulled his legs up onto the couch and knit his brow. "What do I do, Tseng? What would _you_ do?"

Reno then closed his eyes and let his mind clear. He pictured Tseng sitting on the edge of the bed, facing him. This had been their usual way of talking when he'd been alive.

Reno's imaginary version of Tseng hung his head and sighed. "Reno, if he's on ferium, you cannot trust him."

"I know, but what am I supposed to do? Just kick him out?" Reno asked silently.

Tseng met his gaze. "You have to consider all of the options. He may be on the drug and still trustworthy, but that isn't likely. You know how much ferium corrupts the mind-- how it numbs emotions. He may no longer possess his sense of right and wrong, and I do not need to tell you that as a former Turk, Vincent could very well be putting on a good show for you while he's possibly betraying you."

"Shit, I gave him access to the computers and everything!" Reno sighed, amazed at his own stupidity.

"But he hasn't really had much of a chance to abuse that, right?" Tseng asked.

"Not really. I've been next to him the entire time that he was working on the computer at his desk. There was a short while today that I wasn't there, but you don't think he would have done something while everyone else was in the room working, do you?" Reno crossed his arms over his chest.

"With him being on that drug, anything is possible. Reno, you know what you have to do. You can't risk the lives of everyone here because you are somehow afraid that doing anything against Vincent would upset me." Tseng smiled. "I am dead, you know. I could not care less about what you have to do with my brother. Just get him out of this base."

Reno nodded. "All right, boss."

He opened his eyes, ending his meditative communion with his former companion. Reno knew what he had to do and he got back up. Before he turned off the light and left, he looked around the room one more time. "Thanks, Tseng."

"One more thing." Tseng's voice echoed in Reno's mind.

Reno closed his eyes briefly, again picturing his old boss standing before him. "Yeah?"

"If both Spencer and Vincent came back with such an issue, it would probably be in your best interest to look into Jaras' behavior as well." Tseng gave him a smile. "And perhaps you should look into Spencer's death a little closer, too. Remember, be careful. You cannot trust him."

"Right." Reno opened his eyes and left the room.

-----------------------

As soon as Reno had left his room, Vincent had gone across the hall to Sephiroth's door. He knocked.

Sephiroth answered shortly. "What's going on?"

"I need my copy of the CD back. Reno just caught me taking ferium, and I need to get out while I can." Vincent looked over Sephiroth's shoulder, seeing that Jeanine was asleep in the bed.

Sephiroth nodded. "I'll get it, just a moment."

Vincent waited anxiously in the hall, hoping that he could get the CD and back into his room before Reno reappeared.

The door opened again and Sephiroth held out a CD. "Here."

Vincent inspected it, seeing that it was the same disc he'd given over earlier. "Did you get to copy it?"

He nodded. "Yes, that's been taken care of."

"Good. If Reno kicks me out tonight, I will head for Junon. I expect you will meet me there?"

Sephiroth was going to lie, and he was going to pull it off well. "I'll leave in the morning, so no one thinks anything of it. I'll ditch this bitch and meet you there. I should only be a few hours behind you. Take care of that disc."

He gave his son a nod. "I will. See you in the lab."

Sephiroth smiled. "In the lab. Goodbye."

After shutting the door, Sephiroth went over to the couch and opened the drive on Jeanine's laptop. He took out the CD from within it and broke it in half. The disc he had just given to his father only contained one piece of information-- his apology for betraying him.

-----------------------

Vincent went back to his room and put on his cloak, placing the CD within its inner pocket. He then went and picked up his ferium kit, slipping it into the pocket on the leg of his cargo pants. That done, Vincent went over to the dresser and opened up the top drawer. He pulled out the 9mm that he'd brought back with him from the lab. Vincent dropped out the clip, seeing that it was still loaded with seven rounds and then slipped it behind his back, securing it in the waist of his pants.

Now ready to run if needed, Vincent went over and sat back down on the couch, waiting.

-----------------------

Reno stopped by the infirmary on his way back to Vincent's room. He went into Dr. Arlin's office, finding her there. "Janice?"

She looked up at him. "Yes?"

"Not to be gross, but is Spencer's body still in the freezer?" Reno leaned up against her desk.

She nodded. "For the moment, yes. He's due to be cremated tomorrow, though."

"Okay, I need you to do me a favor." Reno locked into her gaze.

Janice pushed her glasses up. "What's that?"

"I need you to run one of those thingies that they do on those crime lab shows when someone dies and they need to know what was in their blood." Reno couldn't recall the procedure's name to save his life.

She cocked an eyebrow. "A toxicity screen?"

Reno's face brightened. "Yeah! That's it."

"May I ask why?"

Reno shrugged. "I just caught Vinny shooting up, Janice. He's on ferium, too."

Janice looked shocked. Vincent had completely convinced her that he didn't even know what ferium was. "Really? He lied to me, then. He told me that he had no idea what ferium even was after Spencer died."

"Yeah, I know, and the fact that he was here when Spencer actually died, well, just run the test, okay?" Reno straightened back up.

"All right. I'll send a sample from Spencer to the lab." Janice was still letting it sink in.

"Okay, I've got to go do something. I'll see you later, Janice." Reno turned and walked out.

He made his way back to Vincent's room. For a moment, he thought about going and getting someone else to be here with him while he did what he had to do, but part of him felt that was a bad idea. Certainly Vincent had been embarrassed about being caught taking ferium, and surely being asked to leave the base would be even worse. Reno felt that he at least owed Vincent enough to not call him out on this in front of other people. Nonetheless, Reno was terrified of facing his father-in-law. He reached out and opened the door, finding it still unlocked.

Vincent was sitting on the couch, dressed in his cloak. He gave Reno a blank stare.

Reno went forward slowly, his nervousness obvious. He went over and sat beside Vincent. "I need to talk to you."

Vincent turned slightly so he could look at him. "All right."

Chaos was more than eager to have at Reno. _Come on…we can just tear him apart right here and now!_

Settle down. Vincent could feel Chaos vying for power so strongly that he almost feared a seizure. _We won't get anywhere if you push too hard, Chaos. I'd rather not have an episode right now, if it's all the same to you._

Reno stared at Vincent for a moment, seeing that he was thinking. He knew he couldn't let this distract him from the task at hand. "Okay, Vinny, seeing as that you're on ferium and I know you won't do anything to let me or Janice help you, I've got to ask you to leave the base, and not come back."

Vincent knew that this was coming, but he still put forth the effort to seem incensed. "_You're _throwing _me_ out? My brother founded this organization, if you'll recall. You're married to my daughter. How can you do this, Reno?"

"Look, Vinny." Reno hung his head. "It's not that I want to do this, but as long as you're on that fucking drug, I can't trust you."

"And what have I done thus far to make you doubt my honesty?" Vincent asked, curious to see how perceptive Reno really was.

"You ain't really done anything around me, Vinny, but I know you flat out lied to Janice about ferium." Reno glanced up at Vincent. "Tseng put a lot of work into building ASRIO, and I can't let anything or anyone in here that could be a threat. Look, if you can get off of that stuff and pass a drug test, I'll let you back in, but until then, you've got to go."

Vincent nodded slightly. "All right, Reno. Have it your way. What are you going to tell Angel? Are you going to tell her that you threw her dad out onto the street?"

"I don't know. I'll worry about that when I get that far." Reno got up from the couch. "Get your stuff."

Vincent already had what he cared to take with him. "I've got what I need. Will you at least take me to the bus station so I can get out of town?"

Reno flashed him a weak smile. This was the least he could do. "Yeah, I can give you a ride."

Vincent walked past him and opened the door. "Then let's go."

_What are you doing? Why are you being so fucking civil, Vincent? Just lay into him and kill him! _Chaos demanded.

_Would you just wait?_ Vincent frowned as he walked down the hall with Reno at his side. _His time is coming, but we're doing it my way. Like it or not, Reno meant a lot to my brother, and even though I may not care about him at all, I owe it to Tseng to make this easy. Betraying Reno is something I'm willing to do for Peirte, but torturing him, making him suffer, is not something I will do._

You weak, pathetic bastard! Chaos was not happy with Vincent's refusal to give into him. _Who do you think you are not following my orders?_

Again, Chaos, do you really want me to have a seizure right now? Do you know what would happen if I did? They would drag us to that damned infirmary and they would strap us down to a bed just like they did Spencer. Do you really want to go through withdrawal like that? Because I don't. Vincent tensed his jaw.

Reno looked over at Vincent as they neared the passage up to the airfield. He felt the wave of tension that came from Vincent. "Vinny, are you going to be okay?"

Vincent stopped walking for a moment, trying to get Chaos to quiet down. "Yes."

"I sorta thought you'd freak out a little more about this." Reno followed as Vincent started walking again.

Vincent wished he'd given himself just a little more ferium than he had. There was some sort of feeling trying to creep up within him. "I guess I'm just full of surprises."

They finally exited the base and started walking across the dark airfield. Reno's car was out in the airfield's parking lot a few hundred yards off. As they passed between two vacant hangers, Vincent slowed his pace, falling slightly behind Reno. He reached back beneath his cloak and took hold of his gun, flicking the safety off. Far enough behind Reno as to be out of his sight, Vincent stopped walking and aimed his gun.

Reno was brought out of the daydream he'd slipped into when he heard a weapon cocked behind him and he spun around, seeing Vincent holding the gun about ten yards away. "Vinny? What are you doing?"

"I told you I was full of surprises. Tell Tseng I'm sorry for doing this." Vincent pulled the trigger.

There was no time for Reno to react and the bullet hit him in the head, blowing out his right eye in the process. He reeled backward and dropped, hitting the asphalt hard.

Vincent frowned. His aim had been a little off. He had intended to shoot Reno between the eyes, killing him but not mutilating him as badly as he just had. Yet, the bullet had still done its job-- Reno was down and not moving in the least.

_Now go over there and unload the rest of your clip into him just to get the point across! _Chaos begged.

_He's dead, Chaos. There's no point, and we may need that ammunition to defend ourselves later. _Vincent brought the gun back to his side and turned away. He began to run as fast as he could into the darkness. The feeling within him finally surfaced through the ferium. It was regret.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Brad was out working late on his helicopter. He was just about done for the day when he heard something that sounded like a gunshot. Wondering what had just happened, he jogged out of the hanger and looked around. Possessing no real idea of where the sound had originated, thanks the acoustics of the massive metal buildings around him, he searched the darkness. A flash of red caught his eye to the left, between two other hangers and he went that way.

As he came around the corner, he saw the form of someone lying on the ground and he began to run faster. Once at the fallen man's side, he recognized who it was and fell to his knees. "Oh shit! Reno?"

Reno had ended up face down on the ground, and there was already a considerable pool of blood soaking the asphalt. Brad reached out and rolled the ASRIO leader over and then caught his breath.

Where Reno's right eye had been there was nothing now, and the bones beside it that had made up the side of his face had been shattered and lain open.

Being a hardened military veteran, Brad was able to put aside his emotional reaction for a moment and do what he had to. He took Reno up into his arms and ran toward the base's entrance as fast as he could manage.

-----------------------

Janice had gotten the sample that she needed for the lab from Spencer's body, and sat at her desk filling out the request form to send along with it.

"Doctor!"

She came to attention upon hearing someone yell for her. Janice ran out of her office and into the infirmary, finding Brad standing beside a bed where he'd placed someone down. Seeing that Brad's work clothes were soaked with blood, she quickly came over, seeing Reno lain out upon the gurney. The source of the bleeding was obvious and she ran and hit the intercom. "I need all available medical staff to the infirmary at once!"

She then ran over and got the emergency cart, pulling it over. Janice got to work, knowing that Reno was fighting for his life. As she began to work on him feverishly, she asked, "What in the hell happened?"

Kyle and two female nurses ran in and got to assisting the doctor.

Brad wiped his bloodied hands upon his pants. "I was out in the hanger and I heard a gunshot. I just ran out and found him layin' on the ground. I don't know who did it."

"Damn it, I do," Janice shot back, sliding an endotracheal tube down Reno's throat. "Okay, let's get him in to surgery. Bring the portable x-ray unit."

Brad quickly found himself abandoned as everyone disappeared into the surgical suite. He realized that he needed to go tell Angel.

-----------------------

Angel had just put Dana to bed and was getting ready to go take a shower when the phone rang. "Hello?"

Brad swallowed hard. Now that he was away from the situation, his emotions were catching up with him. "Angel, it's Brad."

She knew that something was wrong by his tone, besides, Brad never called. "What's going on?"

He cut to the chase. "Reno's been shot, Angel."

Vincent's daughter couldn't believe what she had just heard. "Shot?"

"Yeah…I think you better get down here, Angel." Brad rubbed his eyes with his free hand.

She was unable to respond right away as it sank in. "Okay, uh, I'll…I'll drop Dana off at Jessie's house and I'll get there as quick as I can. Brad?"

"Yeah?"

"Is…is he dead? Just tell me that much." Angel braced herself for the reply.

"I don't know, Angel. Janice took him into surgery already. He was shot in the face." Brad cringed to hear himself say it.

"Oh dear God." Angel let the phone fall from her hand. Her stomach instantly knotted painfully, and she ran to Dana's room to get her daughter.

The little girl wasn't asleep yet, and squinted when her mother turned on the light. "Mommy?"

"Come on, Baby." Angel came over to her bedside. "I need to take you to Jessie's house."

Dana, a typical seven-year-old, was oblivious to the anguish that surrounded her mother at the moment, being too excited about going to her friend's house. "Why am I going there now, Mommy?"

Angel forced herself not to cry. She would have to see how Reno was going to be before she destroyed her daughter's innocent world. "Mommy has to go to work."

She accepted this answer at face value and slid from her bed. Angel took her and quickly left the house.

-----------------------

Word had spread through the base quickly, and the infirmary was full of people by the time Angel arrived, as everyone awaited word of their leader's fate. When Angel walked in, a hush fell over the crowd. All eyes turned to her.

Angel would have felt self-conscious about this had she not been so distraught at the moment. Her compulsion was to scrub up and go join the others in the surgical suite, but she realized that in her present mental state that she would only be in the way.

Upon seeing Angel, Rayna and Porter came to her side. Rayna embraced the other woman, as they had grown close over the years.

"Angel, are you okay?" Rayna asked when she finally stepped back.

She wiped the tears from her cheeks and hung her head. "I…I don't know. If he dies…"

Rayna took Angel back into her arms as she broke down again.

Porter placed his hands upon Angel's back as she remained in his wife's arms. "I'm so sorry."

After a few minutes, Angel got herself back together and pulled out of Rayna's embrace. She looked at them, searching for answers. "What happened?"

"We're not really sure." Porter pointed over toward Brad. "He was out in the hanger and he heard a gunshot and went running. He found Reno just lying on the ground."

"So we don't have any idea who did this?" Angel asked, needing answers.

Brad, having noticed that he was being motioned to had gotten up and come over. He'd heard Angel's question. "Before Janice took him into surgery, she said that she knew, but she didn't say who."

Angel was shaking badly. "I…I want my dad."

That's when they all noticed the glaringly obvious. Vincent wasn't here.

"Didn't anyone tell him?" Angel scanned the scene.

"There was a general announcement made over the intercom. He should have heard." Porter put his arm around his wife's shoulders.

Angel looked at him. "Can you do me a favor and just go check his room?"

Porter gave her a smile. He would do anything she asked. "Sure. I'll be back in a minute."

"Thanks." Angel went and landed in a chair. She was too stressed at the moment to think.

When Porter got to Vincent's room, he found the door slightly ajar and he pushed it open. There was no one inside. He heard a sound behind him and he turned, seeing Jaras standing in the doorway to his own room across the hall. "Jaras, have you seen Vincent?"

He hung his head and shrugged. Sephiroth had heard about Reno, and knew full well that his father was to blame. Yet, he wasn't compelled to volunteer anything. He'd been playing dumb thus far for Jeanine, and he wasn't ready to ruin the act for Porter. "No."

Porter gave a shallow nod. "Well, if you see him, can you tell him to get to the infirmary? Angel really wants him."

Jaras forced a smile. "I will."

Porter turned and went back to the infirmary.

-----------------------

Janice pulled off her surgical gloves and let them fall to the bloodstained floor. She had done all she could, Reno would have to do the rest. After pulling the radiograph films from the view box in the surgery suite, she walked out, leaving the nurses to clean up and move Reno out when it was time.

As she walked out into the main room of the infirmary, everyone went silent. Janice spotted Angel, and waved her over. She led her to her office and closed the door.

Angel stood there as the doctor put the x-ray films up onto the light box in her office.

Before Janice turned on the light within the view box, she turned to Angel. "It's bad, Angel."

She felt a few tears fall down her cheeks. "How bad is it?"

Janice turned on the light box, illuminating the x-ray films. "The bullet struck him in the right eye, and shattered all of the orbital bones. The bulk of the projectile seems to have exited out of the side of his face, taking more bone and tissue with it. However, the bullet did fragment on the way through, and as you can see, there are about a half dozen pieces of it still in his head. These three here are in his brain. I would do more damage trying to retrieve them than has already been done."

Angel's trained eye followed along easily enough. The fact that Reno hadn't just instantly died from this wound was a miracle and she knew it. "Dear God…"

"At the very least, he's lost an eye, Angel. Most likely, if he lives, though, he's going to have some cognitive or motor function issues." Janice went and landed heavily in her chair, exhausted. "So…you've--"

Angel raised her hands, she didn't want Janice to say the inevitable. "Dr. Arlin, please don't say it."

"I'm sorry, Angel, but you've been promoted." 

The new ASRIO leader felt her knees go weak and she collapsed back into one of the chairs sitting before Janice's desk. She buried her face in her hands and sobbed for a moment. "No… This can't be happening! He wasn't even on a mission!"

Janice needed to get Angel to pull herself together. As the person in control, she had to be told the rest of the story. "Angel, look at me."

She turned her pale blue eyes up to the doctor.

"Right before this happened, Reno walked in on Vincent shooting up ferium. He came and told me about it, and then left. I know that he needed to throw Vincent out of the base in light of this, and--"

Angel shot up to her feet. "Don't you dare, Janice! Don't accuse my father of doing this!"

"Sit down, Angel." Dr. Arlin was far too tired and stressed to deal with any of this. "Vincent did this, I know that for a fact. He was hooked on that God forsaken drug just like Spencer. Since we know that the two of them came back like that, I'm going to tell you right now that you need to have your brother placed under arrest until we can be sure that he isn't involved in whatever Shinra was trying to pull by manipulating Vincent and Spencer."

Angel's whole world had just been blown apart. Her husband was on the verge of death, her father was accused of the shooting, and now she was being told to be suspicious of her brother. This was all too much. "Why would my father let things get this bad?"

Janice realized that Reno had been sheltering Angel from all that Vincent had disclosed since arriving. It was up to her to get Angel caught up with the truth. "When Vincent arrived here, he was under a huge amount of stress, and he was very unhappy, Angel."

She knit her brow. This was all news to her. "What are you talking about?"

"Your father admitted to being an alcoholic, and from what I understand, Tifa was having an affair." Janice placed her hands upon her desk and leaned forward.

Angel's jaw dropped. This was beyond belief.

Janice continued. "With all of that going on, when he was supposedly killed on the mission, Shinra probably didn't have that hard of a time manipulating him emotionally. He was hooked on ferium obviously for some purpose. Although he's been hiding it well, those of us that have been around him have noticed that he was acting a little different. When Spencer died, I asked Vincent about what he knew regarding ferium, and he denied even knowing what that drug was. He lied, he flat out lied, because he was on it, too. Reno stumbled in on him getting a fix on accident, but knowing what that drug does to people, he undoubtedly realized that he couldn't trust Vincent anymore and he must have gone to escort Vincent out of the base. Along the way, Vincent shot him, obviously with the intention of killing him."

Angel shook her head. "I can't believe that, Janice. My father? He's not like that!"

"He _wasn't_ like that, but with ferium in his blood, there's no telling what he was really doing. We're just lucky that he left before something worse happened." Dr. Arlin slumped back into her chair.

"_Worse? _Before something _worse_ happened?" Angel scoffed. "If Vincent really did this, then he's either killed my husband or made him a vegetable! How could things be any _worse_?"

"We could all be dead, Angel." Janice sighed. "But like I said, so far we know that two of the three of them that came back from that lab did so on ferium. You need to lock up Jaras until we can establish that he's not on it, too."

It all sank in and Angel nodded her head. She knew that she had to do it. "Okay. I'm going to go give the order, and then I'm coming back. I want to see my husband."

"All right." Janice rose from her seat. "I'll make sure he's cleaned up by the time you get back."

Angel got up from her chair unsteadily and went out into the main room of the infirmary. She saw Porter now standing over with Ericson and went to them. "I need the two of you to come with me."

They looked at her, and Porter spoke up. "How's Reno?"

"He's alive for the moment, but that's about all. We have to go arrest Jaras." Angel couldn't look them in the eyes as she gave the order.

"Jaras?" Ericson cocked an eyebrow. "You think Jaras did this?"

"No, no one suspects Jaras of this, but we need to confine him for the time being nonetheless." Angel glanced at Porter. "Just come with me and let's get this over with."

They nodded and followed her down the hall.

-----------------------

Sephiroth was in his room sitting on the couch, holding Jeanine in his arms. She was shaken up by the news of Reno's situation, and he was doing his best to comfort her. He wanted to crack and tell her the entire truth, but part of him feared that she would become angry that he hadn't come clean about this before, possibly preventing what had happened.

When the knock came to the door, he gently let go of her and went to answer. Upon seeing Angel, he smiled. "How's he doing?"

She immediately looked regretful and stepped aside, revealing Porter and Ericson standing with their side arms drawn and aimed at him.

Sephiroth narrowed his eyes. "What's going on? I didn't have anything to do with this, Angel!"

"I don't think that you did." She had a job to do and couldn't let her own feelings get in the way. "I need to detain you just for a little while, until this all clears up."

Jeanine got up from the couch, terrified. "Jaras? What are they doing?"

He glanced back over at her. Sephiroth resolved that he would comply with his sister's request. Doing anything to fight for his freedom would result in someone getting hurt, and he had promised Jeanine that he wouldn't harm anyone. "It's all right. They just need to make sure that everything is okay."

Jeanine was speechless.

"Turn around and put your hands behind your back," Angel requested, her tone making it obvious that she wasn't joking.

Sephiroth hung his head and obeyed. There was no doubt in his mind that he could take both Ericson and Porter if he wanted to, and a faint smile came to his lips. Whether they knew it or not, he was really in control of this situation, and it made it easier for him to remain still as Porter stepped forward and placed him in cuffs.

With that done, they led him to the detention block and placed him within a cell. Jeanine had followed along, and she went to the bars, reaching through them to her husband. Sephiroth went over and reached back to her, and they stood there in an embrace with the bars between them.

Angel, seeing that Jaras was caged securely for the moment, looked at the two men who'd escorted her here. "I want a guard at the entrance to this room, but leave Jeanine and Jaras some privacy. They deserve that much."

"All right. I'll take the first watch," Ericson volunteered.

"Thank you." Angel turned and jogged back to the infirmary. She wanted to see Reno.

Once back in the infirmary, Angel went to Janice's office, finding her inside, writing in Reno's medical record. "I'm ready to see him."

Janice nodded. "He's still in the surgical suite right now. You can go see him. We'll probably keep him there for a while, until I'm confident that he's stable."

Angel gave her a curt nod and then exited, going back to the surgical suite. She parted the doors and stepped in, slowly making her way to her husband's bedside.

Reno was lying there, hooked up to a ventilator. The right side of his head was bandaged, concealing his grievous injury for the time being, but the dressing was already soaked through with blood. His left eye was closed, but thanks to the trauma he'd suffered, the skin around it appeared bruised. Dried blood had trailed from his nostrils because his sinuses had been broken into by some of the bullet fragments. In summery, he looked like hell.

Angel felt tears in her eyes and picked up one of his hands. "Reno…"

It finally sank in. Reno had never been seriously injured when he'd felt like he was in danger, because he was always on guard. This had to have happened in a moment when his defenses were down, meaning that this had been done by someone he liked. Vincent had shot him. It was the only explanation.

She reached out with a trembling hand and placed it upon his one exposed cheek. "If you don't pull through this, I don't know what I'm going to do. You were the first person that ever showed me kindness… I love you so much. Please get better, Reno."

He seemed to stir slightly, as if in response to her words.

Angel bent down and placed a gentle kiss upon his cheek. It was eerily cold. "I'm going to stay with you until you wake up. Dana's at Jessie's. They said they would watch her as long as needed. I won't leave you here alone, Reno."

-----------------------

The morning light was streaming in Tifa's hospital window and it fell upon her, rousing her from her sleep. She looked over, seeing that the baby wasn't there. Anxiety washed over her and she sat up. There was a nurse in the room, setting down Tifa's breakfast tray.

Tifa needed to know. "Where's Charlotte?"

The nurse knit her brow and then turned to her. "We're running some blood tests on her right now."

"Why?" Tifa asked, thinking that everything with her daughter had been fine so far.

"One of the preliminary tests we took yesterday came back indicating that we needed to check one more thing." The nurse pulled Tifa's bed table closer.

"What's wrong with my baby?" She was growing afraid.

"Probably nothing, Mrs. Vatatsi. The doctors just like to be cautious."

This didn't comfort Tifa at all. "When will they bring her back?"

"It shouldn't be long. I bet she's back by the time you finish your breakfast. Now, eat, Mrs. Vatatsi." The nurse gave her a smile.

Tifa began to pick at her food, not really having an appetite.

-----------------------

Vincent was exhausted. He'd run for a long time after shooting Reno, needing to get out of Costa del Sol before anyone got on his trail. Now, he was slumped down into a seat on a train, making his way toward the nearest airship port. Having just given himself another injection of ferium while locked in the train's bathroom, he was relaxed and wanting to get some sleep since the train wouldn't arrive at its destination for another three hours. Vincent pulled his cloak around him tighter and closed his eyes.

Instantly, he flashed back to the moment when he'd presumably killed Reno. The confused look on the red head's face as he had turned around to look at Vincent burned in his mind. "Vinny?"

Vincent opened his eyes and scowled. Rest would not be easy, not now.

_Knock it off, Vincent, _Chaos growled. _He had it coming. You hated him-- don't act like you're remorseful now. I know you've thought about killing him before._

I may have, Chaos, and I even came close to doing so once long ago, but that was your work, not mine. I haven't hated Reno in a long time. He wasn't my favorite person in the world, but I didn't hate him. Vincent turned his gaze to the dreary winter scenery outside. _I didn't hate him at all._

Well, it's too late to have regrets anyway, besides, you're not supposed to be capable of regret now. Chaos climbed a little closer to the surface, wanting to get to the bottom of what was wrong with his master.

Vincent narrowed his eyes. _I'm getting more dependent on the ferium. My feelings are coming up like this because I need to increase my dose, but I don't know by how much. You're with me when I shoot up. You've seen that I'm increasing the amount each time, little by little. I'll get it right soon, and these annoying and meaningless feelings will go away. Right now, I'm just tired. I'm sure Peirte will know what to do for me, and he'll owe me for the information I'm about to turn over to him come tonight._

I hope for our sakes that you're right. Like I said before, I have no intention of letting us die. Chaos wasn't pleased with the way things were going at the moment. Vincent was feeling too much, and it made him fear what he would do next.

-----------------------

Cid was sitting in the kitchen reading the morning paper. He was absorbed in the story he was presently reading, and hadn't been aware that the boys had left the family room, making their way out into the front yard.

Aaron and L.C. went about flipping over various rocks and pieces of wood, looking for any interesting insects to sacrifice to Tifa's flock of chickens.

L.C. sighed and sat upon the wet grass, suddenly looking down. "Spaz?"

The dark haired boy glanced over at his friend. "Yes?"

"Why do you think your mom and my dad…did it?" L.C. asked, knowing that his companion was far more savvy about things than he.

Aaron cocked an eyebrow. "Because your father is trying to replace my dad."

The blond scoffed. "Naw, that's not it, Spaz."

"Yes, it is, and now that they have this baby between them, I'm going to be pushed out completely. Cid hates me. He's going to make me go away just like my dad had to." His red eyes seemed to flash with some dark emotion. "It will be you, the baby, Cid, and my mom."

"My dad's not making you go anywhere!" L.C. wasn't really all that pleased with the way Aaron was spitting out his father's name.

_Do it, Aaron. Show this little brat what you're made of. Maybe it will scare Cid off if you do it, _urged the voice within him.

Aaron reached back, feeling the piece of metal that he had secured beneath the waist to his pants, hiding beneath his coat. Cracking the combination to his father's gun case had been simple enough for him. The combination had been the same series of numbers that he'd watched his father input into the ATM, and it was the same number he used for his password on the computer.

"Don't you remember the way he almost hit me the other night in the car?" Aaron asked, the gun at his back making him braver than the demon alone could.

"You were being mean to him, Spaz!" L.C. got up, clenching his fists. He was almost angry enough to fight.

"Mean to him? I'm the one that actually belongs here! Not you, not your God damned father! Me!" Aaron wrapped his small hand around the grip on the Death Penalty and pulled it forward. The gun was so heavy that he couldn't manage to hold it up before him-- that was, he couldn't hold it up on his own.

This present wave of anger was finally enough to push the demon within the boy into overdrive. The skin on Aaron's right arm began to darken and the muscles within it suddenly became more than capable of wielding the massive gun and he brought the muzzle up, aiming it squarely at L.C.

L.C. screamed at the top of his lungs. "Dad!"

Cid, hearing his boy's cry for help, leapt up and ran out onto the front porch. He froze in place when he saw his boy at the end of a gun. "Aaron! What are you doing?"

Vincent's son slowly turned his gaze toward Cid, a sneer coming to his lips. "What _am_ I doing, Cid?"

Cid's eyes grew wide as Aaron moved the gun to point at him instead of his boy. He put up his hands in a weak gesture. "Come on, kid. You don't know what you're doing. Put the fucking gun down!"

Aaron shook his head. The demon had almost complete control of him. "Leave."

"I can't just bail, Aaron." Cid was forcing himself to remain calm. At least L.C. wasn't presently the target of the boy's aim. "Look, just come here and give me the gun."

Aaron felt an ache in his shoulders and he struggled to keep the weapon aimed at the pilot. He didn't understand what was happening to his body as the pain in his back worsened.

Cid saw Aaron's eyes go wide and noticed how he seemed to stoop forward. He'd seen this plenty of times and knew exactly what was happening. The pilot looked over at his son. "L.C., run, as fast and as far as you can!"

The boy hesitated, his blue eyes filled with tears. "Dad!"

"Go!" Cid yelled out to him, not wanting his boy to be around.

After looking at Aaron one last time, L.C. took off, running toward the road. There was a house about a half-mile down the street, and he hoped he could make it there to call for help.

Aaron grit his teeth as the tension behind his shoulders finally erupted. Wings came forth from his back, tearing his coat and shirt away. The force of this happening caused him to drop the gun.

Cid saw his chance and he raced forward. He didn't really want to get into a physical altercation with this miniature version of Vincent, but he saw no other option. The pilot plowed into Aaron, taking him to the ground.

Aaron submitted completely to the demon, and the rest of his body quickly changed, taking on the same form that his father had once been capable of, only half the size. He was on his back with Cid trying to pin him down. He managed to wrangle one of his arms free, and he slashed Cid across the chest with one of his taloned hands.

"You little mother fucker!" Cid growled out, as he managed to finally restrain both of the demon's wrists. The small demon was incredibly strong, but Cid managed to keep a hold of him.

Aaron whipped the tail he had around, lashing his captor in the back painfully, and then he let it wrap around Cid's neck and began to tighten it as best he could.

Being choked, Cid had no choice but to let go of Aaron's arms as he tried to loosen the tail from around his neck.

With Cid having let go, Aaron was able to push the pilot off of him. Cid reeled backward and the tail slipped from his neck. He landed on his back hard enough to knock the wind out of him.

Aaron hopped to his feet, folding his wings behind him. His tail whipped back and forth and he smiled, exposing the vicious fangs that now filled his mouth. "I'm going to tear you apart, Cid."

Managing to catch his breath, Cid actually laughed. "Yeah, your fucking dad said the same thing to me about a hundred times, kid. He never managed to follow through."

"Maybe I will." Aaron prepared to lunge.

Cid braced himself for the attack, knowing that he wouldn't be able to get up and out of the way fast enough.

Not being accustomed to transforming into the demon and therein not having much stamina for doing so, as Aaron charged Cid, the demon slipped out of control, giving the boy back his own form.

Cid easily caught Aaron in his arms and held him tightly, no longer fearing him. "You little fucker! What in the hell was that all about?"

Aaron was extraordinarily confused and tired after what had happened. He stared blankly into the pilot's eyes, his fear over his actions becoming obvious, although he remembered nothing that had happened after transforming.

Cid, in his profound anger and frustration, threw Aaron back and to the ground before getting up.

Aaron hit the ground hard, suddenly appreciating how truly strong Cid really was. The demon, for the moment, was completely dormant, and Aaron found himself faced with the pilot alone-- and he was afraid.

Cid loomed over him, his hands on his hips. The front of his shirt was tattered, and his chest was bleeding from the three serious gashes across it that he'd gotten from Aaron during the fight.

An awkward silence fell over them as they stared back at one another. Cid was at a loss for what to do. Demon or not, this was just a kid, moreover, it was Tifa's kid, and he couldn't kill him. Then again, the boy was clearly far too dangerous to have running loose. "What in the hell am I supposed to do?"

Aaron just remained on the ground, gazing back up at him. He had no real understanding of what had just happened to him. "I…I want my mom…"

"Yeah, well, they're supposed to let her come home today, but if you're pullin' this shit, you can't be around her or the baby." Cid knit his brow.

The boy's eyes went wide. "Are you…are you going to send me away?"

Cid could see the terror behind the boy's eyes and it pained him on some level, but he didn't see any alternative. "I don't know."

Aaron was now mortified. Everything the demon had told him seemed to be true.

Cid, not wanting to give Aaron another chance to manifest the demon, reached down and grabbed Aaron's arm, jerking him to his feet. He pulled the boy into the house and to the guest bathroom. There were no windows in here, so Aaron wouldn't be able to escape. Cid threw him inside and then closed the door, before pulling a large side table in the hall in front of it so the door couldn't be opened from the inside. Aaron was, for the moment, contained.

That done, Cid went outside and picked up Vincent's gun off of the lawn and hid it beneath his shirt. Afterward, he began to jog in the direction L.C. had taken off running. Half way to the neighbor's house, he spotted his son on his knees at the side of the road.

As he'd tried to run away, L.C. had gotten a terrible side pain from his exertion, and he'd collapsed and never finished his intended trip to the nearest house. When he heard his dad running up behind him, he turned his pained and frightened eyes toward him. "Dad?"

Cid knelt at his boy's side, overcome with concern. "You okay?"

He nodded. "Yeah, just got that pain in my side right here," he said, pointing to the left side of his rib cage.

Familiar with his son's trouble with these pains when running, Cid sympathized and helped his boy up. "Well, things are all right, let's go."

L.C.'s eyes were instantly drawn to the rips and blood upon his father's shirt. "You're hurt!"

Cid shrugged it off. He'd get his injuries looked at when he went to the hospital to pick up Tifa and the baby later. "It's nothing, kid. I just got scratched up. Let's go home."

"I don't want to go back!" He was terrified at being near Aaron again. "He's gonna kill me, Dad!"

"No, he ain't 'cause I locked his ass in the bathroom for now. I'm gonna call someone to come and get him so they can help him." Cid took his son's hand and began walking toward the house.

L.C. gasped, realizing that Aaron had been right. "You're gonna send him away?"

"What choice do I have, L.C.?" Cid asked, shaking his head. How Tifa was going to handle this news was beyond him.

-----------------------

Angel sat next to Reno. He had now been moved into the main room of the infirmary. A constant stream of well-wishers had been drifting through the infirmary all night and morning, but there was currently a lull in the action, and Angel was alone with her husband.

He was now at least breathing on his own, and the endotracheal tube had been pulled from his throat. When Dr. Arlin had changed the bandages on Reno's head a few hours earlier, Angel hadn't been able to look. She wasn't ready to see what had truly become of Reno's appearance.

Now, she sat in the quietness, holding his right hand, watching him closely for any sign.

When the cell phone lying atop the pile of Reno's clothes beside the bed rang, Angel was startled out of her state. She reached down and picked it up, knowing that whoever was calling was now calling for her. Angel answered. "Hello?"

Cid instantly thought she sounded tired. "Angel?"

In her present frame of mind, she was slow to recognize the caller. "Who is this?"

"It's Cid…Highwind."

Having just learned of the affair between he and Tifa, Angel wasn't too thrilled to speak with him. "Oh, hey."

"Is something wrong?" Cid asked, hearing the depression in her voice.

"Reno got shot last night."

Cid fell back into a kitchen chair. "No shit?"

"No."

"Is he alive?" Cid leaned onto the table, not pleased with this news.

"Yeah, but that's about it." Angel stared at her husband. "He was hit in the head. It's bad."

Cid suddenly felt worse about the reason for his call. "God damn, Angel, I'm really sorry to hear that."

Wanting to change the subject, Angel got to the point. "Thanks. What can I help you with, Cid?"

"Well, I don't know if Reno said anything or not, but yesterday I called to tell him that we're havin' some trouble with Aaron." Cid felt that this was an understatement.

Angel pictured her much younger brother and became concerned. "What do you mean?"

Realizing that Reno hadn't said anything to her, he sighed, "Aaron's got that Chaos thing Vincent used to."

"Oh no!" Angel felt like this was the last thing in the world she could deal with right now. "Has he hurt anyone?"

"Well, he flipped out this morning and pulled his dad's gun on L.C., and then he changed into that…thing and attacked me. I'm a little scratched up, but all right. Aaron couldn't hold onto that form very long, and I've got him locked in the bathroom for now. I was sorta hoping that your guys could just come out here and get him. I figured he could be kept secure in that base and then he wouldn't be a threat to my boy, Tifa, or our baby." It was only after this last line that Cid realized he'd probably given over too much information.

"Wait, _your_ baby?" Angel was struck by Cid's apparent admittal of parentage, and by the fact that Tifa had given birth and no one had told her. Angel actually grew angry that she'd been kept in the dark about so much. "So you're saying that you and Tifa not only had an affair, but you're the baby's father?"

Cid hung his head. This had been destined to get out sooner or later. "Yeah, that's what it's looking like."

"I don't know what to say." Angel figured she'd give Cid a little shocker of her own. "By the way, it was Vincent that shot Reno."

The pilot's eyes went wide. "Are you serious?"

"Yes."

He thought about how angry Vincent had been, but he was still surprised to hear this. "Why did he do that? You guys have him locked up, right?"

"We don't know why he did it, other than he's on ferium."

"Ferium?" Cid was familiar enough with this drug thanks to the evening news. "That's fucked up."

"Yes, and as for having him locked up, we don't because he's run away." Angel reached over and picked up Reno's hand again.

"Oh." Cid fell silent for a moment. "Well, uh, still, do you think there's any chance one of your guys could come out here and take Aaron off my hands for a while? He's just too dangerous right now."

"Fine, Cid." Angel knew that she had to help her little brother. "I'll send someone out as soon as I can."

"All right, thanks." Cid prepared to hang up. "And I'm sorry about Reno."

"Yeah, me too. Bye." Angel flipped the phone closed and set it on Reno's bedside table.

-----------------------

Sephiroth sat in his prison cell. He had told Jeanine to go ahead and return to their room to get some rest. She'd spent all night beside his cell, consoling him, but it had been clear to him that she wasn't feeling well this morning. His wife had reluctantly agreed to go to their room and rest.

He heard someone approaching and looked up from the book in his hands. He spotted his sister. "Angel."

The expression she wore betrayed her complete misery at the moment. She neared the bars and sat down upon the floor, keeping her gaze fixed on her brother. "Tell me everything, and tell it to me now. I've had enough."

He cocked an eyebrow at her. Angel had never spoken to him in the tone she was using. "What do you think it is that I know?"

"You tell me." She sighed heavily. "There's no way that you were in that lab and escaped with both Spencer and Vincent without knowing that something was up with them. And quite frankly, at this point, I'm wondering if the whole story about the Jenova they injected you with dying off was a load of shit."

It was a rare thing for Angel to curse, and he realized that she was at the end of her rope. "There's nothing I can really tell you."

She was smart enough to know that he was lying. Jaras had possessed certain mannerisms that she'd become familiar with over the years, and the man she was watching now lacked some of them. Angel was far more perceptive than most. "Stop trying to hide the truth, Sephiroth."

He narrowed his eyes at being called out.

"At least tell me if you're on that God damned ferium too or not." Angel scowled at him.

Sephiroth got up from where he was sitting and came over before her. He knelt down on his side of the bars and upturned his arms, showing his veins to his sister. "Does it look like I've been doing such a thing?"

There were no track marks to be found upon his arms. "You could be injecting yourself elsewhere."

Sephiroth outright laughed. "I have far too much respect for myself to become a worthless junkie, Angel. Besides, I've been in this cell for well over twelve hours now. If I was on ferium, I would already be suffering withdrawals from being denied it this long."

He had a point, and a very good one. "That's true. Still, I believe you did know that Spencer and our father were on it. Tell me what you know. Shinra wouldn't have hooked them on it and let them go just for the hell of it, Sephiroth."

"That's a correct assumption."

Angel was finally getting down to the truth. "Then let's have it."

"I do not want what I'm about to tell you to get back to Jeanine. She knows that I still have the Jenova in me, but that is all I've told her." He locked into his sister's blue eyes, wanting her to see his sincerity. "If she hears what I'm about to tell you, she may never want to see me again. I can't live with that thought."

"Sephiroth doesn't care about other people in the least. Drop the act." Angel leaned a little closer to the bars.

"I _don't_ care about other people, except for her, Angel. Everything I felt for her as Jaras is still in my heart." He reached out and grabbed the bars with his hands. "I can't stand the thought of losing her."

Angel now had an advantage over him. "Well, if you would like to be allowed to see her anymore, you'll tell me everything right now, otherwise I will ban her from the detention block completely."

His cat like eyes dilated wide upon hearing this threat. "You would deny me the company of my own wife?"

"I'm afraid we're all embroiled in some cruel little Shinra game right now, Sephiroth, and I will do what I need to in order to make sure that this organization survives whatever they are trying to do." Angel felt tears in her eyes. "I will not let anyone, you, my father, or otherwise destroy all that my uncle and husband built here. Do you understand me?"

"You need not fear a thing." Sephiroth hung his head. "Shinra did have a plan, one that I was to be a part of, but after realizing that I still loved Jeanine, I lost my resolve to help Shinra in order to gain back my power. If their plan had gone through, her life would have been in danger, and I couldn't allow it."

"What was their plan?" Angel could tell that he was being honest.

Sephiroth smiled weakly. "After restoring Vincent and Spencer to life, they were hooked on ferium. Vincent was then manipulated by Dr. Peirte Methius to turn him against his family and friends. The threat of being denied more ferium was enough after that for Shinra to be able to keep him on a leash, as it were."

Angel nodded. "And?"

"And Methius set us loose, to come back to ASRIO, infiltrate the organization, and pirate out the names of everyone involved with it. Shinra's plan then was to kill everyone associated with ASIRO." Sephiroth tossed his hair back over his shoulder, thinking back to their supposed escape.

"So, you guys didn't really fight your way out of the Shinra building? You were just let go? What really happened to Derek, then?" Angel asked.

Sephiroth met her gaze again. "Peirte Methius was told that Derek was a ASIRO plant, by me after I received the Jenova injection. As Vincent's first test of controllability and loyalty, Dr. Methius ordered him to execute Derek, which he did without hesitation."

Angel gasped and covered her mouth with her hands. "Our father killed Derek?"

"I wouldn't expect that to be such a surprise in light of the fact that he just tried to kill Reno, Angel." Sephiroth cocked an eyebrow at his sister.

"I'm having a little trouble getting used to the fact that our father's a murderer, Sephiroth." Once more, she felt tears in her eyes.

"He was a Turk, Angel. Killing for him was nothing new, with or without the ferium in his blood. Vincent worked for Shinra for years, I don't see why you're having such a hard time grasping the concept that he's doing so again." He felt a small flicker of annoyance within. Her crying wasn't something he was enjoying.

"But what of the plan, then?" Angel knew she needed to press on with the questioning.

"Well, we got back here and settled in. Like I said, I realized that Jeanine was going to be put in danger by the plan, and I decided that I was going to have to stop it somehow. The Jenova preservation drive within me made me unable to kill Vincent, otherwise I would have. But, shortly after getting here, Spencer was found out to be on ferium. Once he was taken into the infirmary to detox, it's a fair bet that had he lived he would have revealed the plan to you once the ferium was out of his system. I find it no surprise at all that he died, and that he did so in Vincent's presence." Sephiroth smiled again, although it was inappropriate to do so.

This was all tearing Angel apart. Vincent was now up to two deaths, and one attempted murder. "Dear God…"

"Your husband, being the trusting fool that he is…or was, offered to let Vincent remain here after it became obvious that Tifa was with Cid. I believe that the story you were to be told was that he was remaining her to keep an eye on me, correct?" he asked.

Angel just nodded.

"Yes, well, Vincent further took advantage of Reno by asking him if he could have some sort of job here to keep him occupied. Again, Reno, ever trusting Reno, gave your father a job, and complete clearance to get into the computer system, thus granting him access to the information he needed to get back to Dr. Methius." Sephiroth stopped for a moment.

"Wait," Angel raised one of her hands. "If you didn't want Vincent to go through with all of this, why didn't you just tell Reno the truth?"

"If I had done that, it would have turned out to be a case of my word against Vincent's." Sephiroth raised his eyebrows. "Since Reno had seen me in all my glory in the lab, willing to try an hold Vincent hostage, he would have believed Vincent over me in a heartbeat, and you know it."

He was right about this. "Yes."

"And knowing that, I didn't say a thing, since it would have done no more than result in me being thrown in this cell earlier, making it impossible for me to stop our father." He offered another faint smile.

"Did you stop him, or is he out there with the information on his way to Shinra?" Angel asked, needing to know.

"He came by my room last night, with the information on a CD. I took it from him, saying that I was going to make a copy of it for myself to carry." Sephiroth hung his head again, hurt by his betrayal of his father. "When he came by a short time later after Reno had caught him shooting ferium, he asked for the disc back, knowing that he was inevitably going to be kicked out of the base. I gave him back a CD, but it wasn't the one that he'd given me. He has no idea that the information that he's undoubtedly carrying back to Shinra is nothing more than a simple line of text, expressing my apologies to him."

Angel's eyes went wide. "So Sephiroth actually played the hero in this?"

He shrugged. "Like I said, I only did it to protect Jeanine."

"So, Reno was escorting our father out and he shot him…" It all made far more sense now. If Vincent was intending to sell out ASRIO to Shinra, then killing Reno along the way would have just been one more credit to him in the eyes of the company.

"That's all I can tell you." Sephiroth got back up and looked down upon her. Whether he wasn't supposed to feel for others or not, his heart did ache for the fate about to befall his father. "When Vincent shows up to Peirte without the information he was supposed to bring, I imagine he will be killed, and that will be that."

Angel shook her head and picked herself up from the floor. "I would think so."

Another feeling crept up in Sephiroth's heart as he watched his sister begin to cry once more. He stepped closer to the bars and put his arms though them, reaching out toward her.

She saw the expression on his face and went over, letting him embrace her. Angel needed any comfort she could get right now, even if it was from Sephiroth. "My entire world just fell apart over the last few days…"

Holding her as best he was able with the bars between them, he closed his eyes. "I know. I'm sorry, Angel. You've been caught in the middle of this whole thing and it's not fair."

Angel just cried against him. Her father, murderer or not, was on his way to his death. "Sephiroth?"

"Yes?"

She backed away from him. "I'm going to let you out."

He cocked an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Well, if the people we thought we could trust have turned out to be on the wrong side, then maybe it's time to trust those that we shouldn't." Angel reached into her pocket and pulled out Reno's keys. "Just promise me that you'll stay here."

Sephiroth would make that promise. He had no where safe to go and take Jeanine. "I will."

Angel opened his cell door. "I won't tell Jeanine what you've told me."

"Thank you." Sephiroth stepped beyond the cell door.

"I'm going back to Reno. Go back to your room and stay there, all right?" Angel put the keys back into her pocket.

"All right." Sephiroth took a few steps away before stopping and looking back over his shoulder. "I am truly sorry."

Angel flashed him a weak smile. "I owe you for getting the information from our father. But if you give me any reason to doubt you, Seph, you know what I will have to do."

He gave her a nod and a smile. "I'm done with betrayal. You have nothing to fear. The only thing that I'm going to seek now is a way to get this Jenova out of me once and for all. I want my life back."

"I'll have someone look into that." Angel then walked past him and out of the room. She needed to go back to her husband's side.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

It had been a few hours since Tifa had seen her daughter, and she was starting to go into an abject panic. She'd asked the nurses repeatedly when she would get her baby back, and they'd each told her that the baby was just being checked out and would be back shortly. Shortly had now turned into three hours and Tifa was on the verge of leaving her room and searching the hospital despite her soreness from having given birth two days before.

Finally, the doctor entered the room with the baby in his arms. He quickly handed the baby to Tifa and then pulled up a chair, several papers in his hands.

Tifa examined her baby, finding her to be asleep. She turned her eyes to the doctor, fear evident in her voice. "What's wrong with her? Why has she been gone so long?"

The doctor offered her a smile. "Well, we found something on one of the tests that we needed to look into further."

Tifa's heart was racing. "What is it?"

"Well, have you ever heard of a condition called thalassemia?" he asked.

She shook her head. "No, what is it?"

"It's a disease of the blood that causes anemia. Apparently, one of the two genes that she inherited from either you or her father carries a defect that alters her body's ability to produce hemoglobin. But, luckily for her, the second gene she's got is normal. Beta thalassemia is what this particular condition is called." The doctor leaned back in his chair.

"So what does that mean?" Tifa asked, still afraid.

"Well, it means that she will have to be monitored regularly to make sure that she doesn't have any problems with anemia." He smiled. "Since it's just one of the two genes, she'll most likely be fine, although she will probably develop with a very fair complexion."

A fair complexion was something Tifa could live with. She'd been afraid that her baby was going to die. "Okay, so it's not that bad?"

"No." He smiled once more. "The only thing is, she will need to be careful when she grows up. If she marries a man that carries the same flawed gene, her children could be born with more severe complications. In particular, she needs to be weary of Wutains, as they have the highest incidence of this disease."

Tifa stopped breathing. "What?"

"Wutains have the highest incidence of this disease," he restated for her. "Speaking of which, is there any Wutain blood in either you or her father?"

Tifa felt like she'd just been hit by a truck. Cid Highwind was as Caucasian as they got, and so was she. Vincent, however, was not. His father had been Wutain, and his mother from Kalm. Suddenly, she made a horrifying realization. "Doctor, could I be alone for a moment? I need to make a call."

He got up from his chair. "Absolutely. I'll be out at the nurses' station for a while, writing this up if you have any questions."

"Thank you." Tifa looked down at her daughter and thought for a moment before picking up the phone.

-----------------------

While getting settled into his seat upon the airship, Vincent's cell phone began to ring. Vincent answered quickly. "Hello?"

Tifa kept her voice hushed. "Vincent, I need to talk to you about something."

He didn't really want to speak to her at all, but there was something in her voice that caught his attention. He wondered if Angel had spoken to her. "What?"

"I have a few questions." Tifa looked down at the baby in her arms. "Your father was Wutain, but your mother wasn't, right?"

"Right." He wondered where this was going.

"What did she look like, Vincent?"

He closed his eyes and tried to remember. It had been a long time ago and he'd been fairly young when she had died. "Tall, thin…blond, and I think she was a natural blond…not a store bought one. Dark blue eyes. She was beautiful."

Tifa froze. Her assumption that the baby had been Cid's simply based upon her coloration had been flawed. Her voice wavered. "And…and have you ever heard of a condition called thalassemia?"

Vincent's eyes went wide. "Yeah… It's common amongst Wutains. My father had it, and so do I. That's why I'm so damned pale and can get away with hiding my ethnicity. Tifa, are you asking me this for a reason?"

She nodded despite being on the phone, the depth of her mistake tearing through her. "Vincent…Charlotte…the doctor just told me that she's got thalassemia."

Vincent stood up quickly. If he'd still possessed his original heart, he would have just had an attack. The fact that Tifa had actually named the baby Charlotte touched him through the shock. "So…so she's mine?"

"I think so," Tifa cried back.

Vincent closed his eyes, feeling tears roll down his cheeks. This was the best and worst news he could have ever heard. "But…but Charlotte's going to be all right?"

"Yeah, the doctor said that the form of the disease that she's got is something she can live with, but we'll just have to watch her for signs of anemia." Tifa glanced over, seeing that Cid had arrived and was headed toward her. "Vincent, I want you to come home."

He fell back into his seat and cursed himself. Tifa obviously had no idea what was going on with him. The sudden urge he had to go to her and see his daughter was profound, but his addiction and consequent loyalty to Methius forbade it. Besides, once Tifa did get word that he'd shot Reno, and there was no doubt in his mind that she would eventually be told, she wouldn't want him to come home anyway.

With Cid now standing at her bedside, she knew she needed to choose her next words carefully. "Are you there?"

Vincent sighed. "Yeah."

"Will you?"

"I'm sorry, Tifa, I can't. I can never come back, not now. Things have gotten bad." He was going to lay it out on the line so she wouldn't have to wonder about it. "I've turned traitor, Tifa. I've betrayed ASRIO, and I've killed Reno."

All the color drained from Tifa's face. "What are you talking about?"

"Call Angel, hear it from her, Tifa." Vincent's throat tightened, the ferium was not enough to quelsh his misery over this confession. "I'm so sorry."

Tifa found it hard to say anything. "Vincent…"

"I'm sorry." He turned off his phone and slipped it back into his pocket. Vincent wanted to die.

Cid looked down at Tifa as she dropped the phone back to her bedside table, seeing that something was wrong. "Tiff?"

She turned her tear filled eyes up to him. "Cid, sit down."

He did as ordered, landing in the chair that the doctor had just vacated. Although he knew he needed to talk about Aaron and Vincent with her, it was clear that she had pressing news of her own. "What is it?"

"The doctors had Charlotte for a long time this morning, and they ran some more tests on her." Tifa kept her gaze locked into the pilot's.

He suddenly filled with worry. Cid was already attached to the baby. "Is something wrong?"

"They found out that she has a blood disease, but it's not that bad." Tifa felt the baby stir in her arms.

"So she's gonna be okay?" Cid asked, leaning closer.

"Yes, but there's something else."

"What?" He knit his brow.

"The disease…it's something that Vincent has."

Cid got up slowly, not saying a word. He walked over to the window and looked out at the street below.

"Cid?" Tifa wondered what he was thinking.

There were tears in his eyes that he didn't want her to see. He didn't know what to say.

"Cid?" she asked again.

The pilot swallowed hard. "I'm already in love with that baby, and now you're tellin' me it ain't mine?"

"Unless you've got thalassemia, it makes it most likely that you're not. Vincent's half Wutain, remember? Only _half_. His mother was a blue eyed blond, like you. It's entirely possible for him to have made a fair haired baby like this." Tifa felt no pride in what both of the men she loved had now been put through.

"Well, that's just great, I guess. Sunshine's got a daughter. Congratulate him for me." Cid turned back to face her. "That's who you were just talking to, right?"

"Yeah, Cid, he said something." Tifa was terribly ashamed of everything.

He already figured that he knew, thanks to his conversation with Angel. "What's that?"

"Vincent told me that he betrayed ASRIO and killed Reno…" Tears ran down her cheeks.

"Yeah, well, Reno isn't quite dead, but I guess he's fucked beyond all hope." Cid went over and sat back down.

"You know?" Tifa swallowed hard. "It's really true?"

"It looks like it, Tiff." Cid trained his gaze upon the baby girl in Tifa's arms. He was heartbroken that it wasn't his baby, and he really couldn't care less about Vincent's treason. "I called Angel a little while ago and she told me."

"You called her to tell her about Aaron, right?" Tifa asked, remember having made the request to Cid before to do so.

"Well, I called Reno last night to tell him about Aaron, before he got shot. But I called back this morning to ask them to do something." Cid closed his eyes for a moment, remembering his fear as Aaron had held the gun toward L.C.

"Why did you call them back?" Tifa could see that there was more on Cid's mind.

He met her gaze for a moment and then simply pulled off his shirt.

Tifa saw the hideous lacerations that ran across his chest. "Oh my God, Cid! What happened?"

"Your son did this to me this morning, Tiff." He figured that she'd seen enough and pulled his shirt back on.

"What?"

"This morning I went outside after hearing L.C. scream to find your boy holding my kid at gun point." Cid crossed his arms over his chest, quickly realizing that it was a painful maneuver.

"Gun point?" Tifa couldn't imagine how he'd gotten a weapon.

"I guess he knew Vincent's combination, because it was the fucking Death Penalty." The pilot looked away from her.

"Are you serious? Is L.C. okay?" Tifa sat up straight.

"L.C.'s fine. When I came outside, Aaron aimed the gun at me and we got into it. Then he dropped the gun and sprouted wings, Tiff." He frowned.

She was speechless. The fact that her son had made a transformation seemed surreal.

"He went full on Chaos on me. I fought with him and he slashed me. It only lasted a few minutes and then he went back to being Aaron. He's not hurt." He stared down at the floor.

"Oh my God…" Tifa asked the obvious, "Where are the boys now?"

"Well, L.C.'s with that old lady again, and Aaron's locked in the bathroom at the house." Cid hadn't known what else to do.

"You left a six-year-old boy locked in a bathroom?" Tifa was coming unglued.

"Yeah, a six-year-old boy who has the convenient ability to completely freak out and kill people, Tiff. He's safe in there." Cid shrugged. "But that's why I called ASRIO this morning. I figured that if he's that unstable that he needs to be held somewhere secure until they can get that thing out of him. Angel said she would send someone out to pick him up."

"My son's going to the ASRIO base? Cid, he's going to be terrified!" Tifa knew that her boy would wind up in one of the prison cells there.

"What choice do you have, Tiff? You can't risk him hurting you or the baby." Cid sighed heavily. "You've got to think about that little girl and her safety."

Cid was right no matter how it pained her. She met his gaze. "So, Vincent's the father, my son's going to ASRIO hopefully to be helped, and what about you and I?"

"I told you the other night, Tifa." He slouched in his seat. "We're over. It just doesn't work. I love you, I always will, but if we stay together, we're just gonna be miserable. You still love Vincent, and I…"

"And you what?" Tifa was growing angry. She and Cid had only been together for a few days. Tifa felt like she'd been used, as though Cid had gotten his way with her, and it was out of his system.

"Aw, hell, I still love Jin." Painful or not, he crossed his arms over his chest again. "I talked to her last night. She's thinking about getting back together and if that baby isn't mine, then I think I might just go for it."

Her eyes went wide. "So that's it? You fuck me a couple of times and give up?"

He scowled. "You know that's not how it is, Tiff."

"Oh, it isn't? I…" her words trailed off as her voice failed her.

"You're afraid of being alone, Tifa, I can appreciate that. But I was with Jin for six years, and if she wants to be with me during these last few months that I've got, then by God, I'm gonna give her that. You're not gonna have to worry about watching L.C., either. Jin is gonna take him. She's practically his mother anyway." Cid shrugged. "All of this was just one big God damned mistake."

"So now being with me was a mistake? The kid's not yours so now you're going to just run away? Gee, thanks, Cid. Thanks a lot." Her tears were now ones of anger. "You're just going to abandon me… Vincent's gone, he can't come home. I'm going to be alone."

"Look, Tifa, I can stay with you for a little longer, but then I'm gonna take L.C. home and get him settled back in with Jin." He regretted his lack of time left. "If I was gonna be alive longer, I wouldn't take off this quickly, but you know that's not how it is. Besides, it doesn't do us any good to be together when all we've done is fight. We were great friends, Tiff, but we're horrible as a couple."

He had a point, and she knew it. Taking care of his son and getting him situated with the woman who he legitimately belonged with had to be his priority. She just would have been left alone in a few months when he died anyway. "Okay."

A nurse chose that moment to walk in. "Are you ready to go home, Mrs. Vatatsi? The doctor has signed your release papers."

Getting out of the hospital sounded good. "Sure, let's go home."

-----------------------

After getting out of the hospital, Cid loaded Tifa and the baby up in the car and drove them home. The trip was made in complete silence as they were both at a loss for what to say. Cid stopped momentarily to retrieve his son.

L.C. got into the car, finding himself next to the baby's seat. He inspected her for a moment, before asking. "So this is my sister?"

Cid turned to face back. "Actually, it sorta looks like we might have made a mistake. She's probably just Aaron's sister."

The boy didn't understand right away. "What?"

"Vincent, Aaron's dad, is the father." Cid faced forward again and got the engine started. He was still heartbroken over it.

L.C. took the news far better. "That's great!"

Tifa turned and looked at him, wondering what he was thinking.

L.C. didn't make her wonder long. "I didn't want no stupid sister anyway."

Tifa looked at Cid, noticing that he had tears in his eyes. She reached over and placed her hand upon his leg. "Are you okay?"

He glanced at her briefly, and then reached down and grabbed her hand, pulling it from his leg. Cid didn't really want her touching him like that. This was all far more painful than he could have imagined, but on some level, he knew very well that this was what he deserved.

Tifa retracted her arm and turned to look out the window. It seemed that Cid was lost to her forever.

Once at home, Tifa went straight to the bathroom where Aaron had been confined. In her still weakened state and with having Charlotte in her arms, she wasn't able to move the table from in front of the door. She called for help. "Cid?"

He came over and leaned against the wall. "I ain't letting him out until they get here to take him, Tiff."

Tifa felt that she knew better. "Look, Vincent couldn't turn into that thing all of the time, and after transforming, he would have to rest for a day or better usually before he could do it again. I doubt Aaron has the kind of strength it would take to do it again already."

"Damn it, woman." Cid straightened up and came over. He knew that she was far better versed on Chaos and what it entailed than he. Besides, this might be the last time she saw her son for a while, unless she chose to go to the ASRIO base as well.

He shoved the table away from the door and opened it. The light within the bathroom was on and Aaron was asleep on the floor. He'd pulled the bath towels out of the cabinet within and had made a small nest out of them.

Tifa looked at Cid. "Can you hold Charlotte for a minute?"

Cid instantly put out his arms. He hadn't gotten to hold her since finding out that he wasn't the father. With the baby clutched to his chest, he walked away, opting to give Tifa and Aaron a moment alone.

Tifa knelt down at Aaron's side and gently roused him. "Sweetie?"

He opened his eyes and blinked up at her. Upon realizing who it was, a smile came to his face and he scrambled to his knees, throwing his arms around her. "Mom!"

As he came out from beneath the towels, Tifa saw that he was shirtless. When she put her arms around him, she felt something on his back and dreaded looking, but knew she had to. After embracing him for a few moments, she pushed him back. "Aaron, turn around."

He looked slightly confused but did as asked.

Tifa caught her breath. She reached out and traced the outline around the small black patch of skin that now graced Aaron's lower back.

Aaron bent his neck to try and see what his mother was looking at, but mercifully, it was out of his line of sight. "What is it, Mom?"

She dropped her hand away. Vincent had once possessed the same black, reptilian skin when Chaos had been a part of him, but in his case, it had spread all over his torso by the time she first saw him unclothed. "Nothing, Aaron. Why don't you go to your room and get dressed?"

He nodded. "Okay."

Tifa followed him to his room and sat on his bed while he pulled a shirt from his dresser and put it on. When that was done, he turned around to face her, running a hand though his hair as he did so. "Mom?"

"Yeah?"

"Where is the baby?" he asked, suddenly seeming sad.

"Cid has her, but I need to tell you something." Tifa patted the bed next to her, indicating that she wanted him to sit.

Aaron complied. "What is it?"

"Cid isn't the father, Aaron. Your dad is. We were wrong." Tifa put her arm around his shoulders.

"You're not just telling me that so I won't be angry at Cid anymore, right?" Aaron asked, his red eyes narrowing.

Tifa shook her head. "No, I wouldn't do that to you, Aaron."

He remained silent for a moment, waiting to see if his inner voice was going to say anything, but the demon was still dormant from his exhaustion. "That's good then, I guess."

"Yeah." Tifa dropped her gaze to the floor. "You're going to be taken to Angel's place for a while so they can help you, Aaron."

His eyes grew wide. "Mom! Make Cid leave and I won't do anything again! I promise! I don't want to leave! I want to be with you!"

"Oh, Aaron!" Tifa put her other arm around him. "Sweetie, I wouldn't just send you off like that! I'm going with you, okay?"

"Even though you have the baby?" he asked, seeming skeptical.

"Sure!" Tifa laughed. "L.C. spent a lot of his time as a baby in the base, so it's no big deal. Besides, I think Cid's going home, and I don't want to stay here alone."

The boy was clearly relieved. "As long as you're going with me, then it's okay."

Tifa gave him a smile and admired him for a moment. His blatant Vincentness was something she would have to take comfort in now. He and the baby were all she had.

-----------------------

Cid stood out on the porch with the baby clutched to his chest. He was staring down at her tiny face as she blinked back up at him.

He sighed heavily and stroked her cheek with a finger. "Damn, Charlotte, I would've been the best fuckin' dad you could've had…for a couple months anyway."

She made a small sound.

"Yeah, but you're Sue's. I'm sorry about that. Your old man's gone off the deep end. You're not gonna have a dad at all. That breaks my heart, kid." He offered her a smile. "It really breaks my heart. You had me fooled. I never would've figured Sunshine could throw a kid that looks like you."

He heard the door open behind him and he turned, spotting Tifa.

"Come on in, Cid." She stepped back into the house.

Cid soon followed.

-----------------------

Angel was sitting in a chair next to Reno's bedside, but she was asleep. After having gone through the stress of his shooting and being up all night with him, she was exhausted.

"Babe?"

She roused from her sleep, not sure she'd really heard anything. When she opened her eyes, she saw that Reno was stirring.

Again, in a dry and quiet voice, he whispered, "Babe?"

She jumped to her feet, immediately looking down upon him. His left eye was closed, but his right hand was grabbing at the bed sheets, as though he was searching for something. Angel reached down and picked up his right hand and held it tightly.

This touch seemed to anchor him to reality somehow, and his eye opened. He scanned over toward her slowly, finally focusing on her face. The left corner of his mouth twitched momentarily, in what would have to pass for a smile.

Angel smiled back, tears once more coming to her eyes. "Reno…"

He swallowed, looking like it took a profound effort to do so. Reno blinked slowly and then focused on her again. "What's goin' on, Babe?"

She reached down and stroked his exposed cheek. "Reno, you were shot."

He had absolutely no recollection of this at all. In fact, he had no recollection of a lot of things. "I was?"

Angel nodded. "Yeah."

"Why would someone do that?" Reno genuinely looked confused. "Everyone likes me."

She had to laugh, but it faded as she prepared to tell him the truth. "Vincent did it as you walked him away from the base."

His confusion deepened. "Who?"

"Vincent, you know, my father." Angel held his hand tighter, wondering if he was messing with her. Such a thing wasn't out of the question when it came to Reno.

He remembered where Angel had come from, and he remembered the story surrounding her. "Vincent Valentine?"

"Yes."

"Well," Reno stopped for a moment, trying to think, "what was Vincent Valentine doing here? Where was I taking him? Vincent? Are you sure? I haven't seen him since…like right before that whole Meteor thing. Tseng's probably pissed, huh?"

It suddenly hit her. Reno was missing at least the last seven years of his memory. She was going to have to clue him in on what had really happened. "Reno, you've lost part of your memory from being shot."

To him, this didn't seem possible. "What are you talking about? I mean, I don't remember being shot, or seeing Vincent, but I know what's goin' on, Babe."

"What's the last thing you remember?" Angel asked.

He tried to move but the horrendous pain that ran through his head halted him. "Uh, I went to that bar up in town with Tseng. I told him that I just proposed to you."

Now she knew. It _was_ seven years worth of memory he was missing. He'd proposed to her several months before Vincent and Tifa had been brought to ASRIO. Her heart broke. "Reno, that was seven years ago."

His eye went wide. "I've been out for seven years?"

"No, Reno! You were shot last night! You don't honestly remember anything?" She held up her left hand, showing her wedding ring.

Reno saw the diamond on her finger and suddenly looked hurt. "What? You got married? But…"

"Yes, I got married! To you, Reno!" She touched his cheek again. "We've been married for six, going on seven years! We have a little girl. Don't you remember?"

He honestly didn't. "I've got a kid? That's not funny."

"Her name's Dana and she's six." Angel sighed heavily. She hoped that this amnesia was just the temporary kind that some people suffer after major trauma, but then again, so much damage had been done to his brain that no one could be sure.

Reno thought for a moment. He wondered why his best friend in the base wasn't here. "Where's Tseng? Isn't he worried about me?"

Angel realized that she was going to have to give him some of the worst news of his life, and that he was going to have to mourn his closest friend's death for a second time. "Reno, Tseng's been dead for six years."

He tried to shake his head, but again the pain stopped him. "No…I was just at the bar with him! Angel, what's going on?"

As a tear ran from the corner of his eye, she wiped it away. Tears came to her own eyes as she watched him lose his composure. "Like I said, that was seven years ago, Reno. Tseng's been dead for a long time. I'm sorry."

Reno, confused and emotionally destroyed, closed his eye again and just cried. He was lost and didn't know what to do. Once he saw the extent of his injury, things would get even worse for him. After several moments, he lost consciousness again.

Angel got up and went to Dr. Arlin's office. "Janice?"

She looked up from her paperwork. "Yes?"

Smiling, Angel came over and sat before her desk. "Reno woke up for a little bit and he was able to talk to me. He seemed to have lost the last seven years of his memory, though, but he was coherent."

Janice sighed and set her pen down. "Angel, you shouldn't be getting your hopes up yet."

"But he was able to talk to me." She wasn't going to let her spark of optimism fade.

"Look, I feel really stupid having to say this to someone who's had significant medical training like you, but here it is." She pushed her glasses. "It's been less than a day since he was shot. Although we're pumping all kinds of steroids into him, his brain is still going to swell some more from his injury, and whatever cognitive function that he may still have will probably suffer more damage. He's no where close to being out of the woods yet, and you know that."

"But he really seemed all right just now!" If Angel had been able to produce any more tears at this point, she would have.

"And aside from the amnesia, he may have been, but you know what he still faces. I just don't want you to set yourself up for some profound disappointment." Dr. Arlin didn't have much faith in Reno's chances. "If I were you and he were to wake up again and seem coherent, I would just stay with him and let him know how much you love him, Angel."

"I case he dies, right?" Her voice was hushed.

Janice just nodded.

Shaking, Angel got up from her seat and slowly made her way back to Reno's side. She wasn't ready to write him off. Not yet.

-----------------------

Brad slowly brought the chopper down in the field behind Tifa's home just as he had the night he'd brought Vincent by. He cut the engines and looked over at the copilot's seat. "Well, here we are."

Jin flashed him a nervous smile. Brad had invited her along for the ride, since he'd been ordered to bring Porter and Kyle here to pick up Aaron. He figured the sooner she saw Cid, the better. This was going to be a surprise for the pilot.

The four of them got out of the helicopter and walked toward the house.

Tifa was already standing with the back door opened, as she had heard the chopper's approach. Charlotte was in her arms. She examined those coming, recognizing Brad, Kyle, and Porter. Then she saw Jin following the group. Immediately, Tifa turned around and went back into the house. Facing down Jin was not something she really felt like doing.

Upon entering the house, she glared over at Cid as he was presently digging through the refrigerator. "They're here."

"Yeah, I heard the chopper."

Tifa scowled. "They brought Jin with them."

Cid slammed closed the fridge door and turned to Tifa, his eyes wide. "Come again?"

"They brought Jin along, Cid." Tifa turned back to face the door, knowing that they would walk through it at any second.

Cid didn't have a chance to react at all before their four guests stepped inside. Jin was behind the three men. She scanned the kitchen, her eyes then landing upon Cid as he hadn't moved from where he was. While Porter, and Kyle immediately got to talking to Tifa, asking her questions about Aaron, Jin hung her head and slowly walked back out onto the porch. Cid snapped himself out of his state and took off after her, giving Brad a quick acknowledgement on the way out.

She was heading back toward the helicopter, and Cid had to run to catch up with her. "Jin?"

The mechanic quit walking, but didn't turn around. When she'd walked into the house and saw Tifa holding the baby, and Cid staring at her without saying anything, she had felt like coming out unannounced was a bad idea.

Cid finally reached Jin and got in front of her. "What are you doing?"

"I shouldn't have just come out here like this. When you saw me, you didn't even smile." Jin couldn't bring herself to look up from the ground.

Cid couldn't stop himself from reaching out and taking her into his arms. "I was just surprised, that's all. And I found out something today that I needed to tell you anyway."

She didn't resist his embrace and fell into his arms. His familiar feel against her was something she'd missed terribly. Jin closed her eyes. "What's that?"

"The baby, turns out, isn't mine after all." He kissed the top of her head.

Jin stepped back, her eyes wide. "What?"

"It's not mine, Jin." He shrugged. "She's got some sort of blood disease, and it turns out that it's one that Sunshine's got. It's his, Jin."

This was an amazing relief. "Really?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

She'd believed that the baby would have prevented she and him from being able to be together again. "So now what?"

"Well, I'm hoping you'll forgive me, Jin, and take me back." Cid couldn't hide the tears that came up. "I wanna go home, Jin, and I wanna go there with you."

She threw her arms around his neck. "Then let's go."

-----------------------

"So, where is he right now?" Porter asked, standing before Tifa.

She shifted the baby in her arms. "He's in his room sleeping. Whatever he went through this morning took a lot out of him."

Porter nodded. "Okay. Tifa, Quigley's back at the base making up a batch of the drug as we speak. It should be ready by the time we get there. During the ride to the base, we're going to put him in restraints, just to be safe."

"That's fine. He'll be all right as long as I'm there with him." Tifa locked into his green eyes.

Porter knit his brow. "You're coming with us?"

"My son needs me to be with him right now, and there's no reason for me to stay here. I don't want to be alone right now. Besides, I want to be there for Angel." Tifa offered him a weak smile.

Kyle looked over at Porter. "There's plenty of room, and you know the boss won't mind."

"I know." Porter pulled a pair of handcuffs from his pocket. "Well, Tifa, are you ready?"

She'd already packed a suitcase for herself, Aaron, and the baby. "Let's get it over with."

Porter followed her back to the boy's room. Tifa went forward and sat on the edge of Aaron's bed. "Wake up, it's time for us to go."

His red eyes opened and he sat up. "Okay."

"I don't want you to be scared, Aaron. I'm going with you, but Porter's going to do something really quick, okay?"

Aaron just nodded lazily.

Porter came over and knelt at the side of the bed. "How are you doing, Aaron?"

The boy shrugged. "Fine."

"Hold out your wrists toward me, all right?" Porter requested gently.

Aaron looked a little confused, but did as requested. The demon was still dormant and not driving him to resist.

Porter expertly slapped the cuffs onto the boy in two swift movements.

"Mom!" Aaron turned his worried eyes toward Tifa.

She placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay, Aaron. It's just in case you…you change again."

He didn't seem particularly comforted by this, but there was nothing he felt he could do.

Tifa stood up. "Let's go."

Aaron scooted off the bed and rose. He remained close to his mother as she walked out of the room.

Brad, in the meanwhile, had slipped back out of the house and to the helicopter, wanting to check it over before they took off.

Tifa led them to the kitchen where she had the baby's car seat sitting on the table. She strapped her tiny daughter into it, and then turned to Porter and Kyle. "If you two could get those bags, I'll carry the baby out and get her seat situated in the helicopter."

"Sure thing." Porter smiled and went over to pick up two of the three suitcases lined up by the door, Kyle getting the other.

As Tifa headed toward the chopper with the baby carrier, she looked over, spotting Cid and Jin in each other's arms out in the yard. L.C. had shown up from where he'd been playing and was standing near them. Seeing this hurt Tifa and she turned her stare back toward the chopper and started walking faster. Once the baby was secured in one of the helicopter's seats, Tifa got Aaron in as well. Porter and Kyle put the luggage on the chopper.

Cid and Jin came over. Already knowing that Tifa had decided to go to ASRIO with Aaron, he figured that he might as well just go pack his things, get his plane in the air, and head home, but he wanted to say goodbye to Tifa. "Tiff? Can I talk to you for a sec?"

She sighed heavily and hopped back out of the machine and to the ground. Tifa saw Jin standing behind Cid, and she forced a polite smile for her, which the mechanic didn't reciprocate.

"Come with me." Cid walked around to the other side of the helicopter, so he and Tifa could have some privacy. Once out of the sight of the others, Cid crossed his arms over his chest. "Tifa, look, I'm sorry about all of this."

She hung her head, feeling a sting in her eyes. "Yeah, me too."

"We were best friends before all of this, but I guess we can't just go back to that now, right?" Cid asked, his heart aching. He loved her, but the last several days had just proven that it wouldn't work.

"I don't know, Cid." She still loved him, too, she always would. "Things are just really confusing right now. Besides, do you honestly think that Jin's going to let you talk to me after what we did?"

"Well, she still talks to Quigley and that fucker Ericson." Cid's obvious displeasure with these two men forced him to frown.

Being very familiar with the two men in question, Tifa outright laughed. "Wait, she was with those two? Oh my God, that's hilarious!"

Cid failed to see the humor. "It ain't funny, Tiff. She screwed them because she was pissed at me."

Tifa stopped her laughing, realizing that it was upsetting him, but still, the thought of anyone having sex with those particular men, especially Quigley, was just ridiculous. "Sorry."

"Yeah." He dared to take a step closer to her and grab one of her hands. "If you need anything, though, you'll call, right? I mean, I want you to call me soon anyway, but…you know."

"I'll call you, Cid." She looked down to where their hands were touching, wondering if it would be the last time she made any sort of contact with him. "And you keep me updated on what's going on with you, okay? I'd really like to be there, you know, when it's time."

Cid knew he wouldn't let her know when his disease finally began to make him fail. No matter how much he loved Tifa, he didn't want her to be there when he died. He didn't want her to remember him like that. Cid lied, "I will."

"So, you're going home, I take it?" Tifa asked, needing to move off of the subject of his impending death.

"Yeah. Jin's gonna go with me. She and I have a lot to talk about, and L.C.'s eager to get home, you know how kids are." Cid smiled at how excited his son had been when he'd seen that Jin had arrived.

"Okay, well, we should probably get going then." Tifa made no motion to go.

"I guess so." Cid remained still too, just turning his gaze up.

Tifa stared into his blue eyes, seeing that he had tears in them. "Okay."

"Damn it." Cid moved forward and took her into his arms, holding her to him tightly, figuring it would be the last time he would do so. He put his lips close to her ear and whispered, "I do love you, Tifa. I don't want you to ever think that I don't. I'll miss you."

She closed her eyes, feeling tears run down her cheeks. "I love you, too, Cid. I wish this could have turned out better."

"I know, me too." He kissed her cheek. "Goodbye."

The sound of Jin clearing her throat behind Cid forced them to jump away from one another.

Tifa gave him one last faint smile. "Goodbye, Cid."

He smiled back before turning around and taking Jin by the hand, leading her back toward the house. Cid needed go pack his things and get them onto the plane. Since he had a key to the house, he would lock up.

Tifa remained there alone for a moment, before pulling herself together. Once she had dried her eyes, she went back around the helicopter, where Porter was waiting to help her onboard. Porter then closed the door on the side of the machine and Brad fired up the engines. They were on their way.

-----------------------

Jin followed Cid into the house after the chopper had taken off up into the air. L.C. had remained outside, as his father had given the boy the order to carry out the pre-flight checks on the airplane.

As Cid was in the guestroom, stuffing his clothes back into his pack, Jin leaned in the doorway watching him.

He got the last thing into his pack and slung it over his shoulder. Cid neared Jin, thinking that she would step aside and that they would head on out, but she didn't move. The pilot cocked an eyebrow at her. "Come on, woman, it's time to go."

She gave him a wicked smile and put her hands on his shoulders. "How long do those checks take L.C.?"

Cid shrugged. "About twenty minutes."

"That leaves us about fifteen."

She had his attention. "Oh?"

Jin pushed him back violently, sending him backward onto the bed and his pack to the floor. She then closed the door behind her and locked it.

Cid was a little shocked at what she'd done, and remained on his back, staring at her.

She came over quickly and climbed onto the bed, straddling his waist. Jin grabbed his wrists, pinning him down. "If you want to actually survive these next couple of months, you son of a bitch, you won't touch another woman again, you got me, Highwind?"

Cid could tell that she was actually angry-- and he knew that things were about to get good. "Yeah, well, I'll do that if you promise not to go fucking around with any more of those ASRIO geeks."

Jin growled and let go of one of his wrists, just to backhand him across the face. "You watch it!"

The pilot's cheek stung from the blow, but he smiled anyway. "Yes, Ma'am."

"God damn it, Cid! I'm so sorry that I ran out that night!" Tears came to her eyes and she grabbed the collar of his jacket, shaking him. "But if I'd known that you'd been with Tifa, I would've broken up with you anyway."

He narrowed his eyes. "Even though you were with Quigley and what's his name?"

"I was with them, yeah, but I didn't love them. I hadn't been lusting after them for fourteen years!" Jin bent down to be closer to his face. "I've always known you'd be with Tifa if you got the chance."

"You got me there." Cid wasn't proud in the least of what he'd done. "But that's over and done with."

"It better be, you fucker." She tightened her grip on his collar, and leaned down even closer to his face, her eyes blazing. "It better be."

Cid purred deep in his throat and in one quick motion, threw her off of him and onto her back. She was wearing her usual work jumpsuit and as he loomed over her on all fours, he reached out and unzipped it. He quickly realized that she wasn't wearing anything beneath it, and he cocked an eyebrow at her.

Jin smiled in her almost cruel way. "I came here with the intent of luring you back any way I had to."

"Well, I thank you very much." Cid reached down and undid the waist to his pants.

Jin writhed out of her jumpsuit as he continued to hover over her, having pulled down his jeans and boxers enough to be exposed, and it was obvious he was more than ready for them to do what they did best.

Completely unclothed, Jin reached up and put her hands onto his shoulders, pulling him down upon her forcefully. Like Cid, Jin knew what she liked and was accustomed to getting it.

Cid didn't waste any time and he drove right into her, immediately hitting that place he knew so well how to get to.

When it came to talking during sex, Jin wasn't shy about it in the least. She cried out as Cid began moving forcefully, and then made a confession. "Oh God, Cid… Those other two men…they couldn't do what you can…"

He growled, "That's right."

"Am I better than _her_?" Jin asked, clasping her arms around Cid's waist, urging him on faster.

"You better fucking believe it." Cid hoped that she was getting close, because he was. "Too God damned shy."

Jin outright screamed as she was satisfied. Cid was the only man who'd ever been able to bring her to orgasm like this. She'd missed it.

Cid quickly withdrew and looked down at her, his usual sneer upon his lips.

Jin was panting for breath, but she smiled nonetheless. "I know, ride you, right?"

He didn't verbally respond, but just moved away and got on his back.

Jin quickly got him taken care of, and a short while later, they were getting their clothes back in order.

The pilot smiled at her. There was something to be said for familiarity. "I love you, Jin."

She pulled up her zipper and winked at him. "I love you to, Highwind. And, if the offer still stands, my answer is yes."

Cid took a few steps toward her and cocked his head to the side. "What?"

"You know, the last question you asked before I bailed."

Cid raised his eyebrows. "Oh…uh, really?"

"If you don't believe me, ask me again." She reached into one of the pockets on her jumpsuit, pulling out the simple gold ring that he'd placed onto her finger while asking and she handed it to him.

He took the ring and his eyes went wide. "Jin, I'm dying…you don't want to do this."

"Actually, I do." She placed her hand against his cheek. "You're the only man I've ever loved, and I'd like to be married…at least once in my life. I'd rather have you for the end than not at all."

Cid stared down at the small gold band. These last few days had been the biggest roller coaster he'd ever been on. No matter, though, his feelings for Jin had never changed. He dropped to one knee and grabbed her left hand. "Jin, will you marry me?"

"Yes." She gave him a smile.

He placed the small ring upon her, his hand trembling as he did so.

Jin reached down and grabbed the collar of his jacket again, this time pulling him up to his feet, and then kissing the pilot deeply.

They walked out to the plane and boarded, finding L.C. in the pilot's seat. As Cid closed the door, the boy fired up the engines. Jin sat down and strapped in to one of the seats, while Cid got into the copilot's seat.

He met his son's gaze for a moment and smiled. "All right, kid, take us home."

L.C. nodded and then gunned the engines. He was ready to get home, too.

-----------------------

Angel was still sitting at Reno's bedside. It was getting into evening, and Dr. Arlin returned with some bandage material in her arms.

She gave the doctor a smile. "Hey."

"Has he been conscious again since the first time?" Janice asked, setting down her supplies on a tray.

"No." Angel stood up from her chair, stretching her stiffness away. "He hasn't done anything."

"Okay. I'm going to change his dressings again. I guess you probably don't want to watch?" Dr. Arlin pulled her bandage scissors from her pocket.

Angel swallowed hard. She hadn't been able to remain when this had taken place this morning, but sooner or later, she was going to have to see what had truly happened to her husband. "No, I'll stay."

"All right." Janice was on the right side of the bed and gently began to cut away the bandaging.

Angel kept a hold of Reno's left hand as the dressing was removed from the side of his head and face.

Janice pulled the last of the bloodied bandage off and looked at Angel. "Come over here to get a look."

Angel dropped her gaze to the floor and walked around the bed, while Janice moved out of her way. She took a deep breath and prepared herself before bringing her gaze up. Nothing could have prepared her for this.

The right upper portion of his face had been completely destroyed, and there hadn't been enough skin left to close the wound. Where his eye had been was just nothing, nothing at all. His cheekbone had been shattered, along with the bones that had surrounded his eye, causing that whole portion of his face to now sink inward, not leveling out until well past his temple. The skin that was left had been closed as much as possible, but it was all an unnatural purplish hue, and there were multiple lines of sutures present, where Dr. Arlin had done her best to put him back together.

Angel started to feel faint and she backed away. Janice noticed the color drain from the other woman's face and she quickly took Angel into her arms and guided her to the closest chair.

Janice knew that Angel had damn near passed out. "Are you okay?"

Angel took a jagged breath and looked up at her. "I think so."

"It's hard, I know." Dr. Arlin knelt at her side, placing a hand upon Angel's knee. "I mean, we can see these sorts of injuries or worse on the men when they come back from missions and we can deal with it, but when it's someone we actually care about, it's completely different."

She nodded. "Yeah." Angel placed a hand over her heart. "It's like I feel it, right here. It actually hurts."

"That's because you love him, Angel." Janice stood back up. "I'm going to go ahead and get him wrapped up again."

Angel remained in the chair, as it kept her from being able to see his injury anymore. "Janice, if he lives, how much of that can be fixed?"

"I know a wonderful facial reconstruction specialist." Dr. Arlin had seen her friend's work, and had been impressed with the things he could do. "I would imagine that he would be able to take bone grafts from other parts of Reno's body and at least get his eye socket reshaped, and rebuild his cheek bone. There's so much tissue damage, though, that I'm not sure if they'll be able to get a artificial eye placed or not."

Angel sighed. Although no one would have ever guessed it from his generally disheveled appearance, Reno had always been vain, thinking himself attractive, hence his unbearable cockiness with the opposite sex. Angel knew that when and if Reno actually saw what had happened to his appearance, that he wouldn't handle it well, and most likely, it would change his personality forever. Then, she wondered how Dana would react to seeing her father like this. It would be hardest on the little girl, she supposed. Angel couldn't help herself. She buried her face in her hands and cried.

When Janice had the bandage completed, she turned back to Angel. "Look, you've been in here for almost twenty-four hours. Why don't you go get your brother and go get something to eat?"

Angel silently agreed and rose from her seat. She slowly walked to Sephiroth's room and knocked on the door.

Jeanine answered. "Hey, Angel."

"Hi, is my brother here?"

"Yeah, just a moment." Jeanine looked over her shoulder, to where Sephiroth was sitting on the couch. "It's your sister."

He sighed and got up. "Hello."

"I was wondering if I could borrow you for a little while?" Angel asked, flashing him a small smile.

"Jeanine, would you mind if I stepped out?" Sephiroth looked over at her.

Knowing that Angel was probably just seeking comfort, Jeanine gave him a smile and a nod. "Sure, go ahead."

He stepped out into the hall and walked along with her. "How is Reno?"

"He woke up for a few minutes today, but that was about it." Angel's voice betrayed her misery.

Sephiroth stopped walking as again, an unfamiliar feeling crept up within him. He turned to her. Maybe, just _maybe_, he did care about someone other than Jeanine. Sephiroth took her into his arms. "Angel, are you going to be all right?"

She appreciated this gesture from him. "I don't know. If he was dead, that would be one thing, if he was alive and going to be fine, that would be another, but this not knowing what's going to happen to him… I can't stand it."

"I know." Sephiroth thought momentarily about Vincent. "It's almost like that with our father, too. I suppose that Shinra will just kill him right off when they see that he's failed the mission, but on the other hand, they may try to use him in some other way. I wish there were a way to have some means of resolution."

Angel stepped back from him. "Dr. Methius wanted Vincent and you to meet him back in Junon, right?"

"Yes."

"Then maybe I'll be able to find a way to figure out what becomes of him." Angel had one last ace up her sleeve.


	17. Chapter 17

Pardon the typos--I'm very tired right now. I'll edit this tomorrow.

Chapter Seventeen

Sephiroth and Angel were sitting together in the cafeteria a while later.

She noticed that her brother's entire demeanor suddenly changed. "Seph?"

He knit his brow and stared down at the table's surface. "I can't take this."

"What?" Angel reached over and picked up one of his hands. "You prevented things from being a lot worse than they could have been. You should be proud."

Sephiroth or not, his emotions were coming back and he was riddled with guilt. "No, I have no right to be proud at all. Dr. Methius got the notion to send Vincent, Spencer, and I here to carry out that mission from me, Angel. I came up with the idea since at the time, I didn't care about this place or anyone here, and I saw it as a way to get out of that damn lab. But I was eager for more power after my first injection with Jenova, so I agreed not to run away and return. I didn't think that I'd see Jeanine and still feel the same way for her, and now, the longer I'm here…"

Angel tightened her grip on his hand. "What?"

He made a fist with his other hand and slammed it down onto the table's surface. "God damn it! I'm Sephiroth! I'm fucking Sephiroth! I don't feel these things! I'm above all of these petty emotions! I'm not supposed to care, but…"

"But what?" If Angel hadn't known better, she might have thought he was about to cry.

"But I do…I care." He met her gaze. "I'm feeling more and more…"

Angel couldn't help but wonder. "That story that you made up about the Jenova that had been injected into you dying because of the Mako levels in your body…you don't suppose that it may have been a valid theory, do you?"

"I don't know. Look at me." Sephiroth pulled off the shirt he was wearing. His muscles were now all clearly defined-- he was cut. "If the Jenova was dying off and thus letting my feelings come back, then why do I look like this? I'm still getting stronger physically, my body's changing."

He had a point. "I don't know what to tell you, then. Quigley could run a test on you, I suppose, to check the level of Jenova in you, just to see."

Sephiroth put his shirt back on. "You can have whatever tests you like run on me. I don't care."

"We'll do everything that we can to help you, Seph." Angel gave him a smile.

"Have you told anyone about me?" he asked, wondering.

"Yes." She shrugged. "But not anyone that's going to say anything to Jeanine. I told Janice today, as she asked why I'd let you out. She had her doubts, but she trusts my judgement when it comes to you, I guess."

"That's fine." He just wasn't keen on everyone finding out that he wasn't the same old Jaras, although he was starting to feel more and more like it by the hour.

Angel got up from the table, feeling better than she had before. "Well, I need to go make a call and then get back to Reno, I suppose."

He got up and came around the table, embracing her. "All right. Jeanine and I will come by to see you in the morning."

"Okay, and our little brother should be arriving shortly." Angel backed away from him. "He's apparently developed the Chaos demon somehow, and we're going to look after him for a while until he can be treated."

This was news to him. "Really? I haven't seen Aaron in a long time. I wonder how he's handling all of this?"

"I guess we'll find out soon enough." Angel turned and walked from the room.

-----------------------

Rude was standing next to the President's limo, waiting for the man to emerge from the brothel he'd vanished into several hours ago. Whenever the man opted to submit to his vices, poor Rude found himself the one that had to take Harwin where he so chose. Rude was growing tired of waiting, as he'd finished the comic book he'd brought along over an hour earlier.

When his cell phone rang, he eagerly answered, wanting any diversion from his boredom. "Yeah?"

"Rude?" asked a woman's voice.

"Yes."

"This is Angel."

He had to think for a moment, he'd never spoken to her himself. "Reno's wife?"

"Yes." She smiled at being recognized.

"How can I help you, Mrs. Sparks?" Rude moved to sit on the hood of the car.

"ASRIO needs to call in a favor." Angel kept her eyes trained upon Reno, as she was presently at his bedside.

Reno always made the ASRIO calls to him, and Rude found this highly unusual. "Isn't it your man's job to call me?"

"Unfortunately, I was promoted." Angel reached out and picked up Reno's hand.

Rude felt a sweat break across his skin. Reno was one of his few friends, and he knew what this phrase generally meant. "He's dead?"

"Not quite." She sighed. "He was shot in the face. His injuries are severe, we just don't know how he's going to do, yet."

"I'm really sorry to hear that, Mrs. Sparks." Rude didn't outwardly show how much this news hurt him. However, he knew that there must be business to be tended to. "So, what can I do for you?"

"I need a plant put into the Junon building, and I need them in there now. Time isn't a luxury and I can't wait to get one in there via the traditional routes." Angel hoped that somehow, Rude would be able to help with this.

"Which department?" he asked, wracking his brain for ideas.

"The lab. Someone close to Dr. Methius. I know that's asking a lot but--" She found her words cut off.

"Dr. Methius?" His eyes narrowed behind his dark lenses.

"Yes."

"Do you have someone in Junon now who I can contact?" Rude asked, having a plan.

"Yes, Derek's handler, Amy. We can use her." Angel was pleased to hear the hint of thought in his voice.

"All right, I'll get her in, and I'll do it under the guise of her being Dr. Methius' new personal Turk." Rude actually smiled.

Angel was speechless. This was more than she could have ever hoped for. "Really? You can do that?"

"I can do anything, Mrs. Sparks. I'm the head of the Turks and Harwin's right hand man." Rude was proud of the power he wielded. "Give me her contact information and I can get her to Dr. Methius' side immediately."

"Rude, I may not know you, but I love you." Angel pulled out a piece of paper with Amy's number on it so she could read it to him.

Again, Rude smiled. "Glad to be of use, Mrs. Sparks."

-----------------------

Amy was had just gotten out of the shower, intending to go to bed when her phone rang. "Hello?"

"Is this Amy Veller?"

"This is she."

"Ms. Veller, I'm calling you on behalf of Mrs. Sparks. My name is Rude, I suppose you've heard of me?" He was still sitting upon the hood of the limo.

She was speechless for a moment. Being in her line of business, she was always suspicious, but if this was really Rude, she knew that he was her elder in ASRIO and she had to act accordingly. "How can I help you, Sir?"

"You're being reassigned from a handler to a plant, Ms. Veller." Rude kept his eyes trained on the door to the brothel, fearing that his boss would emerge before he'd finished this call.

"Oh." She fell back onto her couch. "And what's my supposed job and how am I getting into the company?" Amy knew that she didn't possess any skills that would make her a convincing plant in the Junon facility. It was full of lab personnel and executives, and she wasn't material for either of those.

"You're Dr. Peirte Methius' new personal Turk. He's been lacking one for a short time, and I've not been able to get a new one transferred to him, until tonight, it would seem." He pushed his glasses up.

"A Turk?" She knit her brow. "I'm not really Turk material."

"It's not like you're going to be a field Turk that actually does anything. It's just a babysitting position for the most part. Mrs. Sparks just needs some eyes in the lab, it would seem, and you have been elected." Rude slid off of the hood of the car and stood up. "You're to keep an eye out for Vincent Valentine, but not let him know that you're with ASRIO in any way."

"How do I get in?" she asked, intrigued with this assignment.

"Go into the building and to the receptionist up front. I've already called to tell them that one Marie Abran is coming in tonight from the Farm." Rude ran his free hand over his clean-shaven head. 'The Farm' was the causal term for the Turk training facility in Midgar. "I informed them that they need to get you to Dr. Methius immediately since he may be in danger, and to have a suit and a gun waiting for you at the front desk. No questions asked, Ms. Veller."

He was good, and she was impressed. "All right. I'll get dressed and get down there in about half an hour."

"Excellent. I'll be in contact." Rude hung up, the President had finally emerged.

-----------------------

The helicopter set down, and Tifa roused Aaron from his sleep. "Wake up, we're here."

He blinked up at her with his crimson eyes. "Okay."

With the baby carrier in her right hand, and with her left arm draped around Aaron's shoulders, Tifa took her children down into the ASRIO base. Porter led her directly to the room that Vincent had just vacated the night before. Tifa walked in, and Porter followed.

The former Turk crossed his arms over his chest. "Tifa, you and the baby can stay in here, but Aaron needs to be confined."

The thought of her son being thrown into a prison cell didn't sit right with her. "Porter, he'll be all right for tonight. Don't put him in lock down until morning, I'm begging you."

"I'm sorry, Tifa, but that was the entire purpose for picking you up and getting you here." Porter felt sorry for her, but orders were orders.

"All right, if he's going into the prison block, then so am I. Have a crib placed into the cell adjacent to his. I'll sleep down there with the baby, too. That way, he can be locked up but not out of my sight." There was no way she was going to leave her son down there alone.

Porter knew that there would be no arguing with her and he smiled. "Sure thing. They've placed a television down there, too. Angel wanted him to have something to do. I think they were going to bring down some games and things as well."

"Good." Tifa smiled at him. Before we go down there, though, can I just have a moment with him alone?"

He was reluctant, but gave in. "I'll be right on the other side of the door."

"Thanks." She watched as he walked out.

Tifa looked around the room for a moment. Vincent's belongings that he'd abandoned were still here. He'd left a shirt draped across one of the chairs, and the bed had gone unmade. Small signs of his recent presence were all around her. She went and sat on the edge of the bed. "Aaron?"

The boy's expression betrayed his trepidation over what was going to happen, but that was momentarily surpassed by the fact that he could see the same thing about the room that his mother could. "He was here, wasn't he?"

Tifa smiled, looking over to where Vincent's shirt was tossed. "Yes, I guess he was."

"I miss him, Mom." He went and sat beside her, his two small hands still chained together.

"I know, Sweetie, I miss him, too." She stared down at her infant daughter, still asleep in her carrier at the foot of the bed. "Once they get you taken care of, we'll go back home, okay?"

Aaron seemed rather indifferent to this news. "What's the point? My dad's not there. I don't care where I am anymore. I'm just afraid that I'm gonna lose you somehow and be completely alone."

"I'm never going anywhere, Aaron." Tifa placed an arm around his shoulders. "You, Charlotte, and I will always be together. Don't ever be afraid that you're going to be alone. And even though your father's gone, always know that he loves you. He told me to tell you that when I spoke with him last."

Aaron closed his eyes and hung his head.

Seeing the sadness around him broke her heart. "Aaron?"

He glanced over at her. "Yeah?"

Tifa swallowed hard. "Are…are you upset with me?"

The boy shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe. I just wish that you and Dad were still together, but not fighting. Maybe this will be better. I'm confused, Mom."

She kissed the top of his head. "I know, and I'm sorry. This has just been one nightmare after another for you, and I haven't been thinking about your needs more than my own since this whole mess started. But I'm going to put you and Charlotte first from now on."

"So no more Cid?" he asked, again flashing her a glance.

"No more Cid, no more anybody." Tifa smiled to herself. "Until you and Charlotte are old enough to take care of yourselves, I won't get involved with anyone else…unless by some miracle, your father and I can be together again somehow."

The thought of not having to watch his mother date appealed to the boy and he seemed a little happier. "Promise?"

She locked into his crimson eyes. "I promise, Aaron."

Porter opened the door and looked in. "Tifa?"

"Yes?"

"Jaras and Angel are out here." He stepped aside and opened the door all of the way.

Vincent's two eldest children entered. Aaron stood up and went over to them.

Angel put her arms around her younger brother, knowing that he couldn't hug her back since he was in cuffs. "Hey Aaron. Are you doing okay?"

He smiled up at her. "I guess so."

Sephiroth knelt down to be on his level. "Little brother."

Aaron's grin widened. Jaras was damn near his favorite person in the world other than his parents. He thought that his big brother was the apex of cool. "Jaras!"

Sephiroth gave into his urge and took his brother into his arms for a moment. "It's good to see you."

"Yeah." Aaron stepped back. For the moment, his troubles were forgotten.

As Sephiroth and Aaron began to talk, Angel went over and sat next to Tifa, looking down into the baby carrier. "So, this is your daughter?"

Tifa realized that the true identity of the baby was still unknown to everyone here. "It's your sister, Angel."

"But, I thought Cid was the father…that's what father told Seph--" Angel caught herself. "Jaras. That's what he told Jaras."

Tifa cocked an eyebrow. "You just almost called him Sephiroth."

She tried to get the conversation back on track. "I've been under some stress, Tifa. It was just a mistake. But still, we thought that Cid was the father."

"That's what I thought, too, but thanks to the fact that this baby has thalassemia, we know better." Tifa reached down and unstrapped the infant from the carrier seat and took her into her arms.

Angel's eyes went wide. "She…she has it, too? I've got it. I figured that it had to come from my father, since he's half Wutain."

Tifa cocked her head to the side. "You have it?"

"Yes. Luckily, I didn't pass it on to Dana. Then again, it's never caused me any problems, other than a few bouts of anemia when I was pregnant." Angel held her arms out. "Can I hold her?"

Comforted to hear that the disease hadn't impacted Angel's life negatively, she eagerly handed the baby over to her older sister. "Her name's Charlotte Cidelle Vatatsi."

Angel got up from the bed and went over to where Sephiroth was still talking to Aaron. She got on her knees next to Sephiroth, and showed him the baby. "They were wrong, I guess. She _is_ our sister."

Sephiroth cocked an eyebrow. Vincent's attempted suicide had been for naught. "Really?"

Angel grinned. "Yes. Now there's four of us. Two girls and two boys. The odds have been evened."

Sephiroth looked down into his infant sister's face. "Welcome to the most confusing family on the planet, little one."

Tifa remained on the bed. Seeing the four siblings there together, with such extreme age differences between them, touched something within her. Jaras was right. This _was_ the most confusing family on the planet. _If only it were complete and Vincent were here_, she thought sadly.

-----------------------

Amy walked up to the doors of the Shinra building and entered. The frank boldness of impersonating a Turk amused her. She went up to the night receptionist and leaned against the counter, trying to appear casual.

The woman behind the counter looked up with tired eyes. "Can I help you?"

"Yeah. I'm Marie Abran. I believe I'm expected."

The receptionist immediately sat up straight. "Oh, yes, I received word that you were coming." She bent down and picked up a bag from beside her seat and handed it to Amy. "Those are the items that Rude requested be ready for you upon your arrival. There is a bathroom over there, if you would like to go get changed before heading up to the lab, Ms. Abran. In the coat pocket is your pass card and a note containing your password. Memorize it and destroy it, please."

Amy looked into the bag. Inside was a folded suit, with a gun, holster, and security badge resting atop it. "Good. I'll go do that."

"Once you're ready, just head on up. Security was told that you were coming as well, and with that badge around your neck, they won't delay you, Ma'am." The receptionist was clearly nervous.

Amy decided to live it up. "Fine. Thanks. Oh, and what's your name?"

"Sara."

"Sara, next time a new Turk comes into town, let's not just shove their suit into a bag, okay? Hangers were made for a reason." Amy turned and walked toward the bathroom.

The receptionist dropped her gaze away. "Yes, Ms. Abran."

After getting into the bathroom, Amy locked the door and quickly changed into the clothes that had been provided to her. Mercifully, the suit actually fit properly. She donned the shoulder holster and placed the gun into it before putting on her suit coat and zipping it up. In the coat pocket, she found the pass card as promised along with her password. Finally, she dropped the security badge around her neck. She was now Marie Abran, Turk.

After exiting the bathroom, she made her way over toward the elevators. Security seemed to give her little regard as they were presently arguing with someone else.

"Dr. Methius is expecting me," the man being delayed said, clearly agitated.

She stopped momentarily and watched the scene unfold.

"Until you give me your name, you're not going anywhere." The security guard crossed his arms over his chest.

The man flipped his long, black hair over the back of his red cloak and turned to the side, his frustration obvious. "Just tell him that someone's down here for him."

The would-be Turk's eyes went wide. It was Vincent Valentine. She stepped closer, deciding to try getting away with something. "I'm going up to the lab. I'll escort him. The doctor _is_ expecting him."

The security guards were not about to argue with a Turk. They waved Vincent off to go with her.

Satisfied that he was going to get his way, Vincent walked over past Amy and toward the elevators. He hit the call button.

She got to his side and examined him for a moment. Although she'd never met him before in person, he was easily recognizable nonetheless. "Mr. Valentine, is it?"

He gave her an emotionless glance. "Yes."

"I see." She extended her hand toward him. "I'm Marie Abran. I just got assigned here as Dr. Methius' personal Turk."

"Good luck living for more than a short time," he shot back coldly, refusing to accept her handshake.

_God, he's a real jerk, _she thought to herself as her hand fell back to her side. "I'll see what I can do about that."

The elevator doors parted and they stepped on. Vincent quickly jabbed the button to the fifth floor. He studied the supposed Turk out of the corner of his eye. She was fairly young and on the side of overweight. Someone straight out of the Farm shouldn't have been in this bad a shape. "I assume you're new?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Their standards have slipped." Vincent stared straight ahead at the doors before them.

Although aware that she didn't fit the general physical requirements for new Turk enlistees, she was still hurt by his blatantly heartless comment. Obviously, he was an angry individual. "Sometimes they over look certain physical attributes when someone has exceptional skills, Sir."

He almost seemed to laugh. "Not in my day."

Mercifully, the elevator stopped and they found themselves before the lab doors. Amy went over and slid the pass card she'd been provided with through the lock and entered the code. The doors unlocked and she pushed them open, Vincent quickly making his way past her.

Dr. Methius looked over from the microscope he was sitting before. "Mr. Valentine? Back so soon? Where, may I ask, are Sephiroth and Spencer?"

Vincent went over and sat on an exam table, his physical and mental exhaustion clear. "I had to kill Spencer due to his addiction to ferium being discovered, and Sephiroth is following me here, with a back up copy of the information that I've brought. He thought it would be better if we traveled separately."

Peirte seemed more than pleased. "Excellent, an excellent performance, indeed." His eyes then landed on the female Turk. "And you are?"

"Marie Abran. I was just assigned to you, Dr. Methius." She folded her hands behind her back.

He didn't seem impressed. Obviously, Rude had scrapped the bottom of the barrel to get him an escort. "I see. I suppose they can't all be like Toskin."

Amy had to hide her negative reaction to the less than warm welcome. "Yes, Sir."

Peirte opted to ignore the woman for now and got up from his seat, walking over toward Vincent. "Well, let's have it."

Vincent reached beneath his cloak and pulled out the CD, holding it out toward the scientist. "The complete contact list of ASRIO, and I killed Reno on my way out of the base."

Amy's eyes went wide. She felt that she was watching a disaster in the making, yet her orders had been to not let on to anyone that she was with ASRIO. She kept her expression blank. The thought of Reno being dead made her want to cry.

Methius literally squealed with pleasure as he took the disc into his hands. "You are a wonder! Killing Reno is the icing on the cake! Come with me, Mr. Valentine! Let's go see what we've got here!"

_You've impressed him, Vincent. _Chaos was delighted.

Vincent hopped off the table and walked behind Peirte and into his office.

Amy attempted to follow, but Peirte slammed the door in her face, locking himself and Vincent inside. She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. So far, being a Turk wasn't proving to be all that fun.

Peirte hurried around his desk and landed in his chair. Vincent went to stand behind him, looking over his shoulder. The scientist opened the drive to his computer and slipped the disc in.

After searching the disc for a moment, the computer opened a window, showing a file labeled _Complete Contact List._ He clicked it and it opened.

Only one line of text appeared on the screen.

_Dad, I'm sorry, I couldn't go through with it-- Sephiroth_

Peirte quit breathing and his eyes went wide. Slowly, he turned his chair around.

Vincent's eyes were also wide. This betrayal by his son was something he hadn't seen coming. He felt sick, but strangely, he was also relieved. _That son of a bitch…he saved them, every fucking one of them. Thank you, dear God, thank you._

"Mr. Valentine, is this some sort of a joke?" Peirte got up from his desk.

Vincent closed his eyes and hung his head for a moment.

"Answer me!" Dr. Methius shouted, flushing red in anger.

Vincent laughed quietly to himself. Good side or bad, life never was going to give him a break. It was all par for the course. "I don't make a habit of joking."

"What does that mean?" Peirte clenched his fists.

Vincent continued to laugh, but felt tears in his eyes at the same time. His emotions were a complete mess now, the ferium doing nothing to conceal them at this point. "The betrayer has been betrayed, by his own son, and you know what?"

Peirte was actually shaking in his rage. "What is that, Mr. Valentine?"

"I've never been more proud of him in my life." Vincent looked up and met Peirte's cold stare. "It's time for you to kill me, if you don't mind."

"You ungrateful fuck!" Dr. Methius swung wide and decked Vincent with his right fist for all he was worth.

Lab dwelling geek or not, Peirte proved to be very strong, and Vincent's head swam as he reeled back and hit the wall. He made no effort to defend himself. Hopefully, everything was finally going to end.

"I brought you back from the dead!" Peirte went to where Vincent was bracing himself against the wall. "And you _laugh_ at me?"

"I didn't ask you to." Vincent had no choice in the matter, his emotions were completely beyond his control, thanks to the damage the ferium had done. He broke out in another bout of giggling.

"Stop it, God damn it!" Peirte struck Vincent again, this time knocking him to the floor.

Vincent hit the ground and found himself staring up at the ceiling. "I guess you shouldn't go around trying to play God. Next time you order someone dead, maybe you should keep them that way."

Dr. Methius came unglued. He pulled his new gun from beneath his lab coat and aimed it at Vincent. "God? I _am_ God, as far as you need be concerned!"

Vincent gaze up at the barrel trained upon him, realizing that when Peirte pulled the trigger, it would hit him in the face, probably in his right eye.

_An eye for an eye, is it? _Chaos pushed his way through Vincent's shattered mind. _Wouldn't that be just so poetic? But we're not going to let that happen now, are we?_

Vincent smiled. _I'm not going to fight. Throw me into a seizure if you will. I don't care anymore._

_I'm getting really fucking tired of having to save your ass, Vincent. _Chaos reared up for one more pathetic grab at power. The result was the same as it had been for the last several years.

Dr. Methius noticed something seeming to change within Vincent, and he lowered his gun. He watched as Vincent began to convulse. "Oh well isn't this just lovely. You're fucked, Mr. Valentine."

Had he been conscious, Vincent would have agreed.

-----------------------

Cid sat with Jin on the couch in front of the fireplace. He'd put his son to bed a few hours earlier, and he'd been here talking with the mechanic since then.

She stared into the flames resting her head on his shoulder. "I've missed this."

"Yeah, me too." Cid closed his eyes. "I hated being alone. I was miserable."

"I did, too." She sighed. "I stayed on the airship the whole time, either working or locked in my room. Every time you left a message on my machine, I'd listen to it over and over again, wanting to call you, but too afraid to actually do it. I saved all of those messages until my machine was damn near full, but then you quit calling."

He laughed quietly. Thinking of her doing something so sentimental as saving his messages was somehow humorous. "I quit calling because I figured you weren't interested."

"God we're a mess." Jin smiled.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure." She pulled back from him a short way so she could look into his eyes.

"What made you call me? Was it finding out that I was dyin' or was it that I was with Tifa?" He was honestly curious.

"Both." She shrugged. "I'd thought that eventually we'd somehow end up together again, but when I realized that there was only a finite amount of time, well, what could I do? And yeah, when I heard about Tifa, well, that was just wrong and I had to see that a stop was put to that."

"I'd already put a stop to it." Cid pulled her to him again. "I figured out that she was still too attached to Vincent. That was sort of a deal breaker. I thought I'd stick it out, just to be there for that baby, but then when I found out that it wasn't actually mine, well…"

"So, should we get it over with tomorrow, then?" she asked.

He knew what was on her mind. "Yeah. Tomorrow."

-----------------------

Angel had helped Tifa get settled down in the prison cell next to the one Aaron had been put it. The bed in her cell was against the one in Aaron's, and Tifa had sat upon hers, her hand though the bars, and holding onto Aaron's arm as he lay on his own bed. Convinced that Aaron was all right with the arrangement and that Tifa and the baby were safe, she'd decided to go back to the infirmary.

When she'd walked in, it was well after midnight, but Dr. Arlin was standing at Reno's bedside, staring at him.

Angel came over quickly. "Janice? What are you doing here?"

Dr. Arlin realized that Angel hadn't yet paid any attention to Reno and she motioned down at him. "He's decerebrate posturing."

Angel's heart jumped and she looked down at her husband, seeing that both of his arms were rigid at his sides, with his wrists twisted so his hands were angled away from his body, his fingers flexed. His head seemed to be thrown back, pushing down into his pillow. She knew what it meant. His brain was suffering more damage, his body contorting itself involuntarily in response. "No…"

Janice walked around the bed and put her arm around Angel's shoulders. "I'm sorry, Angel."

She frowned for a moment. There was a good chance that Reno was close to death. "Janice, can I be alone with him?"

Dr. Arlin had done all she could for Reno for the time being, and knew that Angel needed a chance to say what she had to. "Okay."

After Janice had gone and shut herself into her office, Angel sat on the edge of Reno's bed and placed her hands upon his shoulders. "You've gotten a little worse, but that's okay. I'll do whatever I have to in order to take care of you, Reno, no matter how you come out of this. No matter how bad you get, I won't send you away to be put into some sort of care facility. I'll take care of you myself, okay? Just don't die…"

Reno crossed his legs as he sat in the chair on the opposite side of the bed from where Angel was with his body. How in the hell he could be over here and yet in the bed at the same time confused him, but that's how it was. As he watched her crying over him, he felt horrible about everything. He realized that there was a hand on his shoulder and he looked up, seeing Tseng standing next to him. "Hey, Boss!"

Tseng gave him a smile and pointed to the bed. "Angel's not taking this so well."

"Yeah. So, am I dead then or what?" Reno asked, thinking that he must be if he was out of his body and talking to Tseng.

"No, your body's still trying to live. You are very badly hurt, though." Tseng took a few steps toward the side of the bed.

Reno got up and went with him, until he was staring down at himself. "Man, I look like shit right now, huh?"

"You've looked better," Tseng said quietly.

"She was sayin' that no matter how bad I get, that she'd take care of me herself." Reno shook his head. "Angel can't do that, I mean, it wouldn't be fair to her or Dana. I'd just be best if I died, wouldn't it?"

Tseng looked over at him. "Maybe. At this point, the choice is honestly yours, Reno."

"Shit." Reno hated having to make important decisions. "What will I be like if I live?"

"I don't really know," Tseng sighed.

"Well, did you have a choice? If you did, what was the deal breaker that made you die?" Reno asked, crossing his arms over his chest and looking at his old friend.

"Well, I had a choice, and I opted for death. I was hurt, I had that heart condition, and I was tired. Since my brother was there to be with me at that moment, I chose to go. I wouldn't have done it if I'd been alone. I'd waited there on the surgical table for him to come in for a while. When he finally did, I just let go." Tseng smiled. His death hadn't really been all that bad. He had been able to go with someone who loved him at his side. "I guess the question you need to ask yourself, Reno, is are you tired or not?"

"Tired?"

"Yes. Have you gotten enough out of life, or is there more for you? Are you tired yet?" Tseng turned to face him square on. "It's a simple question, really."

Reno smiled. "Naw, I ain't tired."

Tseng put his hand out onto Reno's shoulder again. "Then get back in there and start fighting."

"Yeah, I think that sound's pretty good." He gave Tseng a wide grin. "And, uh, thanks for all your help with things over the years. I know a lot of the little things that happened haven't just been coincidence."

Tseng smiled shyly and shrugged. "I couldn't just leave this all to you and not stick around to do what I can. It would have been like setting the proverbial bull loose in the china shop."

"Yeah, ha ha, very funny." Reno tried to force an annoyed look, but it melted back into a smile.

"Reno, get serious and tell your wife that you're going to make it through this, one way or another, then get in your body and live." Tseng let his hand fall away from Reno. "I'll be back to check on you later."

"Okay. See ya, Boss." Reno turned back to his wife and put his hand upon her shoulder as she still sat beside his body. He bent down and put his lips close to her ear. "It's all right, Babe. I ain't goin' nowhere."

Angel hurriedly got off of the bed. A chill had just run down her spine and it had felt like someone had touched her. In her mind, she could have sworn that she'd heard Reno's voice, but her logical side couldn't believe it to have been anymore than a slight hallucination brought on by her fatigue. Still, she didn't completely write it off and she whispered back, "You better not. I love you, Reno."

To hear her answer, even if she looked frightened, made Reno laugh. If he had to fight, then fight he would. "Yeah, I know. All the ladies do."

-----------------------

Aaron had finally fallen asleep, and Tifa retracted her hand through the bars. Charlotte was also out for the time being, and Tifa realized that she wanted a better pillow than the one that was on the prison bed. Silently, she slipped out of the prison block for a moment and went to her room.

Upon entering, she went over to the bed. It had been left unmade, and Tifa saw that Vincent had been sleeping on the right side of it, just as he had at home. Knowing this, she picked up the pillow he'd been using and brought it up to her face. Sure enough, his scent was clearly upon it and she smiled faintly. Then, she went over to the chair where one of his shirts was lying, and she picked it up as well. It was a button up one, and she just slipped it on over the tee shirt she was wearing, leaving it open. With the pillow hugged up against her, Tifa made her way back to the prison cell and went to sleep.


	18. Chapter 18

Again, I ask that you pardon the typos…I'm spent today.

Chapter Eighteen

Vincent regained consciousness, and found himself to be in the cage that Sephiroth had occupied during his stay in the lab. He tried to move from the bed, but the overwhelming pain that hit him kept him from doing any more than rolling onto his side. His body felt like he'd been beaten within an inch of his life, and the truth was that he had. Where his chest had been opened up during his surgery, was still far from being healed, and the sheer agony of breathing was more than he thought he could stand. The only thing that could take this pain away was his precious ferium. Vincent reached down and unzipped the pocket on the leg of his pants where he'd stashed his ferium kit, and to his horror, it was gone.

_Yeah, Dr. Methius took everything you had after he finished beating the shit out of you, Vincent. _Chaos had been aware during the whole chain of events, and hadn't been pleased to go through it.

"Damn it." Vincent got flat on his back again, finding it to have been a more comfortable position. _I'm going to go into full-blown withdrawal soon… I can already feel it starting._

I suppose so. Chaos didn't want to go through it anymore than Vincent. _I hope your body can tolerate it. You're already in bad shape, but I guess you know that._

He closed his eyes and sighed. Since Vincent didn't know what time it was, he had no idea how long it had been since his last dose, other than it had been administered in the bathroom of the airship that had brought him to Junon.

"Mr. Valentine?" asked a woman's voice from a short distance off.

Vincent made no attempt to reply, not caring who it was since it was undoubtedly no one who could help him in the least. He heard her call out his name a second time, and continued to ignore her.

Amy huffed and frowned. She was sitting in a chair beside the cell, where she'd been all night. Her first exciting assignment from Dr. Methius had been to remain here and watch Vincent all night long for any 'signs of interest'. Well aware that this had been no more than Peirte's way of ditching her here in the lab for the night, she'd had no choice but to comply. She was, after all, his supposed Turk.

When she'd heard the commotion in the scientist's office that she was locked out of the night before, she wondered if Vincent had attacked Peirte. When the door had opened a good twenty minutes later, and the doctor had emerged completely unharmed, she realized that Mr. Valentine had been on the losing end of whatever had occurred.

Peirte had scowled at her as he'd walked past. "Go in there and clean that up, Abran."

Reluctantly, she'd gone into the office to find it a dismal mess, and with Vincent's bloodied body crumpled in the corner. Obviously, Peirte had been wailing on the other man for all he was worth, and she realized at once the Vincent was lucky to be alive at all. She'd dutifully mopped up the blood off the floor, and rearranged the office furniture as she figured it should have been, before Dr. Methius reappeared in the doorway.

"Go put him in that cage. You _can_ get him there without my help, I should hope," he'd asked, his voice laced with cutting sarcasm.

Knowing that any Turk worth their salt, male or female, should be capable of lifting and moving another person, Amy had just silently nodded back. Of course, not actually being fit in any way, shape, or form, Amy had then proceeded to literally drag Vincent's unconscious body by his legs out of the office and into the cell. The bed within was little more than a mattress lying on the floor, and she'd been able to get Vincent placed upon it.

Peirte had watched this out of the corner of his eye with disgust, while sitting before his microscope. She was the most pathetic excuse for a Turk he'd ever seen, but at least he'd been spared the task of getting his office back in order after beating Vincent.

So, that done, she'd been ordered to observe her charge while Peirte had vanished for the night. Amy had begun to wonder if Vincent was going to ever regain consciousness. Jerk to her or not, she was still concerned about him, and wanted him to say something. She chose to give it one last try. "Mr. Valentine?"

Vincent opted to reward her persistence. He turned his head in the direction of her voice and glared over at her. It was the Turk as he'd more or less suspected. "What?"

"Are you all right?" she asked, only realizing afterward that she probably shouldn't have. A real Turk wouldn't have cared.

"Do I look all right?" Vincent shot back, maintaining his stare.

There was no way around it-- he didn't look all right in the least. Dried trails of blood were present at the corners of his mouth and from his nose. He sported a severe laceration above his left eye, and both of his eyes were blacked from the fight. If she'd been able to see his body beneath his tattered clothing, she would have appreciated that it was bruised as well, and part of the incision on his chest had been broken open from the repeated kicking that Peirte had subjected him to. Some of the bones in his left hand had been broken, as the doctor had intentionally stomped on it prior to turning and exiting the office. In short, he looked like hell.

Amy shrugged and dropped her gaze to the ground. "No, you don't."

Satisfied, Vincent closed his eyes again and made an attempt to suppress the pain that was tearing him apart. He was starting to break into a sweat, and he could feel his body begin to tremble. Withdrawal was beginning.

------------------------------

At five in the morning, Brad's phone rang. He delayed answering, hoping that whoever it was would just hang up or that Lilly would answer, but on the eighth ring, he gave in and picked it up. "Do you have any damn idea what time it is?"

"Yeah, too damn early," replied a voice much like his own.

Brad sat up in his bed. "Highwind?"

Cid sighed. "Yeah."

Knowing that his counterpart wasn't one to get up quite this early, Brad instantly grew concerned. "What's up?"

"Well, I was hopin' that you and Lilly could get out to Rocket today." Cid was sitting on his couch, before the cold fireplace. Jin was nestled into his side, sleeping.

"Uh, that's like a six hour flight from here. This better be important." Brad wasn't sure that Lilly would just want to take off like this.

"Would I be calling this early if it wasn't important?" Cid looked down at the woman beside him. "If you leave now, and assuming that the piece of shit you fly doesn't wreck, you can be here by noon. Get going and wear somethin' nice."

Brad didn't have a chance to ask any more questions as Cid simply hung up. "Highwind, you're a pain in the ass."

------------------------------

Charlotte woke up and began crying, prompting Tifa to stir from her sleep. She sat up and got to nursing the baby, and looked around.

Aaron was still sleeping on his bed, next to her but on the other side of the bars. Seeing him there like he was made her smile. He was on his back with his left arm straight out at his side, dangling over the edge of the bed, his right one clutching the blanket to his chest. Aaron slept in the same position as his father.

Once the baby was done feeding, Tifa got to changing her diaper and as she did so, Angel appeared, followed by Quigley and Porter. Tifa gave them a smile while she fastened the diaper onto her tiny infant. "Good morning."

Angel smiled right back. "Tifa, Quigley has the drug made."

Her eyes went wide. Although she knew that they had to do something for Aaron, the thought of him going through what Vincent had when receiving the injections scared her. "What's it going to do to him, Quigley?"

The researcher came over and sat on the bed next to her. "Hey, that baby's cute."

"Thanks, but you're delaying," Tifa said, calling him on it.

She was right, he was. "Okay, well, he'll probably react to it a lot like Vincent did, except I'm hoping that it might be a little easier on him since he's not as developed in the way of Chaos as Vincent was by the time he got it."

"He's not Chaos." Aaron opened his eyes and sat up slowly. He hadn't been asleep at all, and was just listening for anything of interest.

Everyone turned and faced him.

Aaron knew what they were thinking. "Chaos was the name of the monster inside my dad. Mine told me that I had to give him a name of his own."

Tifa reached through the bars and grabbed her son's hand. "You named it?"

"Havoc. I named him Havoc." Aaron smiled fleetingly, feeling a little ridiculous about it, but the demon within him had insisted in being named.

"Well, whatever it is, what we've got should be able to get rid of it." Quigley offered a smile.

Tifa suddenly realized the potential mistake they'd made. "We shouldn't have told him."

Porter stepped forward, also remembering the rule that Tseng had set down when Vincent was going to be cured, and what had happened when that rule had been broken. "Oh crap, you're right. He might make Aaron try to escape…"

Angel and Quigley were immediately disappointed in themselves for not thinking of this as well. Things just got dangerous.

Yet, Angel quickly thought of a solution that would keep everyone more or less safe during the procedure. "We'll just leave him in that cell. We won't move him to the infirmary to give him the injection. As long as he's behind those bars, he won't be able to do much. We'll just have him put his arm through the bars and give him the injection that way."

Remembering the violent way that Vincent's body had responded to the drug, Tifa wasn't well for the idea of Aaron being made to go through that locked in a cell. "Angel, I want to be able to hold him when he's treated!"

"I'm sorry, but we can't take any risks, Tifa." Angel looked at her younger brother. "Like Quigley said, hopefully his reaction will be less severe."

"But what if it's not and he needs help?" Tifa asked, terrified of anything befalling her son.

"I'll bring down everything I might need if there's a problem," Angel replied, placing a hand on Tifa's shoulder. "In fact, I'm going to go get things together so we can get this over and done with.

Inside Aaron, Havoc was paying careful attention to everything that was being said and planned. The demon hadn't regained enough strength yet to do much, but he was at least going to try and convince Aaron not to cooperate. _Get away from the bars and sit in the middle of the cell, Aaron. If they give you whatever it is they've got, it could kill you._

Aaron's eyes went wide and he grew afraid.

The demon felt the fear, and was pleased. _That's right, it could kill you, and I guarantee that it will _hurt_. Get up and get out of their reach!_

I'm scared, you're right, Aaron thought back, _but I'm not scared of the drug. I'm scared of becoming a monster, Havoc. I'm scared of becoming _you.

_I'm here to help you, Aaron, I've told you that. _Havoc was willing to say whatever he had to.

_You've lied to me. _Aaron continued to sit motionless. _My mom didn't stay with Cid, and the baby isn't his. You made me pull my dad's gun on my best friend! I scared L.C., and he's never gonna talk to me again because of it, I bet._

I am_ your best friend, Aaron! _The demon was growing desperate. _Get away from the bars and do it now!_

Tifa looked over and saw the expression that her son was wearing. "Aaron?"

He turned his crimson eyes up toward her. "Mom, they need to give me that stuff really soon…"

Angel and Quigley realized what was happening and they turned and left, going to retrieve what they needed, leaving Porter and Tifa with the boy.

Porter, also realizing what was at stake, reached down and pulled Tifa to her feet, dragging her and the baby out of Aaron's reach.

Tifa didn't want to be taken away from her son's side. "Porter! Let me go!"

"I'm sorry, Tifa, but Aaron's fighting that thing right now. Look at him." Porter kept his gaze upon the boy.

She looked over at her son, seeing him sitting there, looking terrified and shaking slightly. "Aaron? What's going on?"

He was fighting for his very soul. "Mom…make them hurry!"

Angel quickly returned with her medical bag and with Janice at her side, and shortly thereafter, Quigley returned as well, with a loaded syringe in his hands.

Quigely turned to Angel. "Give me a tourniquet."

She reached into the medical bag and pulled one out, handing it to the researcher.

He then went over and sat on the bed in Tifa's cell, close to Aaron. "Okay, I need you to put your arm through the bars, Aaron."

_You're running out of time! Don't do it!_

With his arm shaking horribly, Aaron extended it through the bars.

Quigley grabbed his wrist and looked back over his shoulder. "Porter, come here."

"Don't move," Porter ordered Tifa before going to his friend's side.

"Hold onto his arm so he can't pull away." Quigley put the tourniquet around Aaron's upper arm and tightened it.

Porter braced the boy's arm at the wrist and elbow, keeping him in place.

Quigley pulled the cap from the needle on the syringe and lined it up with Aaron's vein.

Aaron bared his teeth and jumped slightly at the pain of the needle going into his arm. His terrified eyes turned from the two men before him and over to his mother. "Mom…"

"It's okay, Aaron," Tifa said back, tears in her eyes. She'd never seen him look so afraid, and it broke her heart.

_Damn you, Aaron! How dare you let them do this to me! _the demon screamed inside his head.

Quigley pulled away the tourniquet and injected the contents of the syringe into Aaron's bloodstream before removing the needle from his arm. He placed a finger over where the needle had been in the boy's vein and applied pressure.

Aaron waited for the drug to do something to him, but nothing seemed to happen, other than a slight burn where he'd been injected.

Having expected some sort of reaction, Quigley knit his brow in confusion. "Aaron?"

_It didn't work. Time to get serious._

The boy's lips pulled up into a smile.

Porter felt like something was wrong, and he let go of Aaron's arm and got up from the bed. "Quig…what's going on with him?"

The researcher looked over his shoulder back at Porter, keeping his hold of Aaron's arm, not wanting the vein to bruise. "I don't kn--"

His words were cut off as Aaron turned his arm in Quigley's grip, and he grabbed onto the researcher's hand and pulled his arm through the bars. Quigley was jerked forward and hit the bars forcefully.

"Shit! Quig!" Porter hurriedly got behind Quigley and put his arms around him, trying to pull him free of Aaron's hold.

Tifa screamed as she watched her son change almost instantly before her eyes into the form of his inner demon. As Cid had said, he looked just like a small Chaos, the remnants of his shirt clinging to his newly developed wings. "Aaron!"

The demon, being far stronger than Aaron had been, was able to keep his grip on Quigley's arm and didn't let him escape. He dug his talons into the researcher's flesh, tearing it open as he fought to keep a hold of Quigley's arm. "I'm going to teach you not to fuck with me!"

Quigley was in agony, and struggled to free himself. Porter was pulling on him for all he was worth, and they were gaining, but at the cost of Quigley's arm being damaged more and more as it was raked through the demon's claws.

Seeing that he was losing the battle to keep Quigley restrained, Havoc made one last cruel gesture and bit the researcher before letting him go, removing a good portion of tissue off of his forearm.

Porter and Quigley fell to the floor once the demon had let go. The former Turk quickly got up, but Quigley remained on the ground, clutching his severely injured left arm to his chest.

Dr. Arlin ran over, seeing that Quigley was bleeding heavily. She looked up at Porter. "Help me get him onto his back."

Porter knelt down and maneuvered the researcher so that Janice could get a look at his arm.

Quigley was groaning through his gnashed teeth, terrified to look at his injury. Janice had to force him to give over his arm, but after only seeing it for a moment, she realized that he needed surgery immediately in order to save the limb.

Once more, she turned her eyes to Porter. "Help me get him to the infirmary." She looked back at Angel. "I'm going to need your help, too."

Angel shook herself out of her shock and nodded, following the doctor, Porter, and the injured man out. Before she left the room, she called back at Tifa, "Stay away from the bars!"

Tifa was frozen in place, staring at the little blood-covered demon in the cell. She watched with Charlotte held tightly in her arms, as Aaron's alter ego continued to gnaw on the bit of flesh that he'd torn from Quigley. "My God, the drug didn't do anything at all…"

Havoc swallowed and then narrowed his glowing eyes. "That's right, it didn't do a thing to me, and the next person that tries will have something far worse happen to them."

The demon then gave her an evil smile, before submitting back to Aaron. The boy regained his own form and fell to the floor of his cell.

Seeing that her son had returned, Tifa went forward, placing Charlotte in the portable crib that had been provided before kneeling beside the bars. "Aaron! Are you okay?"

He pushed himself up from the floor, trembling and afraid. "Mom…it happened again… I thought that stuff was supposed to fix me."

"It was, Aaron." She reached through the bars toward him, wanting no more than to hold him.

Aaron saw her reach for him, but he took a few steps backward, realizing that he was covered in blood. "What happened?"

"You don't remember anything?" she asked, seeing the terror in his expression.

Tears came to his eyes. "No!"

"That demon took you over and you attacked Quigley through the bars." Tifa wanted him to come closer, but he kept backing away.

"No…no!" Aaron was horrified to hear this. "I hurt someone?"

"It wasn't you, Aaron. Come over here," Tifa begged.

"I can't, Mom! What if I hurt you, too?" The boy understood now how dangerous he was and there was no way he was going to put his mother at risk. "Just get away from the bars, in case it happens again."

"It won't happen again for a while, Aaron!" Tifa remembered having a similar conversation with Vincent seven years ago. "You won't hurt me, come here."

He just shook his head and continued on backward until his back was against the wall of his cell. Aaron then slid down to the floor and sat, drawing his knees up to his chest and wrapping his arms around his legs. The boy hung his head, closed his eyes, and cried. The thought that he couldn't be cured was unbearable, and he didn't want to live this way.

Tifa watched her son break down and realized once more that he was just like his father-- far too much like his father.

------------------------------

Angel and Dr. Arlin were done with Quigley after being in surgery for nearly three hours. They'd managed to save his arm, although his recovery would be a long one. For now, Quigley's arm would have to remain bandaged and in a sling, but he was alive and intact.

After getting him into a regular infirmary bed to recover, Angel went over to Reno's bedside to see him.

Porter had waited here and Rayna had arrived as well, to await word of Quigley's status, and they got to his side immediately, looking to Janice for an update.

The doctor looked at Quigley's two friends, and offered them a smile. "He's going to be okay."

They both seemed instantly relieved, and Rayna bent down to give Quigley a kiss on the cheek even though he was still sedated.

Porter frowned and shook his head. "Poor Quig, of all people for something like this to happen to…"

"I know, he's a nice guy." Janice did feel sorry for the man. "I can't understand what happened. The drug didn't seem to have any effect on Aaron at all."

"Other than pissing him off." Porter reached out and took up Quigley's right hand. "He made sure that the formulation was correct, so I can't imagine why it didn't work."

"Maybe you should check it just to make sure, Porter. Perhaps he made a mistake." Janice pushed her glasses up.

"Quig doesn't make mistakes, but I'll run the batch he made through the analyzer just to make sure." Porter met the doctor's gaze. "But I'm not leaving until he's awake and tells me that he's okay."

"Fair enough." Janice offered him a polite smile.

In the meanwhile, Angel was at Reno's side. He was unconscious still, his body no longer rigid, but rather relaxed. This was a change from the last time she'd seen him a short while before going to take Quigley to Aaron, and part of her panicked. He was either no longer posturing because the pressure inside of his head was falling, or he was beginning brain death. Knowing that the reflexes of his remaining eye would give away what was happening, she reached out and pried it open, looking closely to see if his pupil constricted as she did so.

Reno's right arm instantly flew up and over, grabbing her wrist, pulling her hand away from his face. He'd never liked his eyes messed with.

Angel shrieked in shock and jumped back, not having expected him to move in such a way.

Over at Quigley's bedside, everyone turned around to look over at Angel, and they saw Reno holding onto her arm.

Janice excused herself and went over quickly. "Angel? He's holding onto you?"

She thought it was a little obvious with his hand dangling from her wrist. "Yeah, he scared me."

"Try talking to him, see if he's aware." Dr. Arlin crossed her arms over her chest, anxious for some sign.

Angel pulled Reno's hand from her wrist and laced her fingers through his before bending down close to him. "Reno?"

Nothing seemed to happen.

Not giving up that easily, she tried again. "Reno? Come on, show me you're still in there."

The left corner of his mouth twitched a few times, before he responded. "Babe?"

Angel instantly had tears in her eyes. "Reno!"

His left eye cracked open the tiniest amount and he focused on her. "That's me."

Not only was he conscious, but he was already using his cocky tone even if his voice was dry and tired. Angel bent down further and lay across him, crying against his chest.

Janice wanted to tell Angel to still be cautious about getting her hopes up, but even the logical doctor couldn't help but feel relief in that moment. Reno seemed to be determined to defy the odds.

Reno took his right arm and put it over his wife as she rested against him. He was aware and could feel her there, and it was the most wonderful thing he'd felt in his life. "I'm here, I told you last night that I wasn't going no where."

Angel smiled even though tears still ran from her eyes. She remembered hearing his voice in her head the night before and realized that it hadn't been a hallucination. Somehow, he'd spoken to Angel and she knew at that moment how much he really did love her. He'd fought off death to keep his word to her. "I was so scared you weren't going to make it."

"Tseng told me it was my choice," he replied quietly.

Angel straightened back up and gazed down upon him. Some of her optimism was tempered as she thought that he'd failed to regain his memory. It seemed like he still believed Tseng to be alive. "Reno, Tseng couldn't have told you anything, he's dead."

"Yeah, I know, that's why he was able to talk to me while I was sitting over there." He motioned weakly with his right hand toward the side of the bed he'd been at the night before.

She couldn't help but wonder exactly how much damage had been done to his mind. "What?"

He knew that she couldn't possibly understand what he was trying to convey. Surely pressing on with the issue would do no more than make her believe that he was nuts. "Never mind. Babe?"

"Yes?" She reached down and touched his left cheek.

"How's Dana?"

Angel smiled widely, he had his memory. "She's okay. She's been at Jessie's since this happened. I didn't tell her what was going on yet, since I didn't know…"

"You honestly think I woulda given your old man the satisfaction of killing me?" Reno's mouth contorted into a lopsided smile again. "Give me a fuckin' break, Babe."

"I would hope that your motivation for living would have been your family, not spiting my father." Angel couldn't help but play his little game.

"Yeah, you're right." Reno was already getting tired. "Babe?"

"Yes?"

"Can you do me a favor?"

"What's that?" Angel leaned closer to him.

"Can you get whatever this is off my head? It's really annoying only being able to see out of one eye." Reno again produced some sort of smile.

Angel's eyes went wide and she looked over at Janice for help. "Uh, well…"

Janice decided to spare Angel the pain of telling him and she came closer. "Reno, if we take the bandage off, you still won't be able to see any better."

He honestly didn't understand. Even when he'd seen himself the night before, he hadn't gotten any real appreciation for his actual injury. "What?"

"The bullet hit you in the right eye, Reno." Janice reached down and placed a hand upon his chest.

Reno looked away from both women for a moment, trying to absorb what he'd just been told. "Oh, so…it's gone?"

"I'm sorry, but yes, it's gone." Dr. Arlin was sympathetic.

He seemed to frown for a moment, and then he looked at Angel. "Babe?"

She stroked his cheek. "Yes?"

"Uh, do I…" His voice wavered. "How bad do I look?"

Injured or not, the sheer fact that he was alive and talking made him the most beautiful sight she'd ever lain eyes upon. "You look absolutely fine, Reno."

Her honest sincerity was clear and he gave her another crooked smile. "Babe?"

"Yes?"

"Can you do me another favor?" he asked, his voice sweet.

"What's that?" She tightened the grip on his hand.

"I'm really tired and I want to sleep for a while, but do you think that maybe you could climb up here and lay down next to me?" He seemed hopeful.

Knowing Reno, she figured he was just angling for sex, despite his present condition. "There's other people in the room, Reno."

Reno sighed realizing that his usual demeanor made her think that his intentions were perverted. "No, Babe, I just want you to lay here with me while I sleep for a while. I want you close."

Angel laughed to herself, blushing. The truth was that she was incredibly tired herself and squeezing into that tiny, uncomfortable hospital bed sounded very good. "Okay, I could use a nap myself."

Reno's smile returned.

------------------------------

Peirte arrived in the lab, and walked over to where his new Turk was sitting, finding that she was asleep, despite Vincent's cries of agony as his withdrawal ripped through him. "Uh, Abran?"

Amy snapped out of her light sleep. Although Vincent was being loud, she was exhausted after being up all night, and couldn't help drifting off. She got to her feet and faced the scientist. "Doctor, you're back."

"Marvelous. They trained you to see the obvious with amazing clarity, didn't they?" Peirte walked over to the side of the cage, seeing that Vincent was staring up at the ceiling, making animalistic sounds as his body twitched and writhed upon the floor, since he'd fallen off of the bed long before. "Enjoying the bitchier side of ferium, are we?"

Vincent heard him, but couldn't respond at all. In his mind, he was begging for help, but no words could sensibly pass his lips. He was in more pain than he'd ever been in, save the time that Hojo had cut off his arm without anesthesia. Not knowing where else to turn, Vincent made on last desperate plea in his mind. _Chaos…help me._

Now you ask for my help? You've treated me like shit, you've hated me forever, and now you have the nerve to ask for help? The demon laughed. _If there were anything I could do, I would be doing it, Vincent. This is hurting me just as much as it is you._

Damn. Vincent allowed his eyes to close, hoping that the pain would either render him unconscious or kill him. Either or, he didn't care which.

Dr. Methius looked thoughtful as he observed Vincent. "I've never had the pleasure of actually watching someone die of ferium withdrawal. Have you, Abran?"

She walked over to his side. "No, Doctor, I can't say I have."

"Did he do anything other than what he's doing now?" Peirte asked, looking over at her.

"He was capable of talking for a short time this morning, but then he started that. He's been doing nothing other than this for a few hours now." Amy hadn't found it easy to watch this man in such obvious pain.

Dr. Methius noticed her expression. "Does this bother you?"

She shrugged. "I've seen plenty of my friends die before, Doctor. What's watching the death of a man I don't know on any level compared to that?"

"I see." There seemed to be something slightly disingenuous about her statement, but then again, she was clearly not a run of the mill Turk. He wondered briefly about how she'd managed to get this job, but quickly racked it up to a probable case of nepotism. The last name Abran was one that he'd heard within the context of the company before. "Well, I'm going to go into my office and work on a few things. If his condition changes, do let me know."

"Yes, Doctor." Amy remained beside the cage, continuing to look at the prisoner within.

Before going into his office, Dr. Methius reached into his pocket and pulled out a set of keys. "Abran?"

She turned to face him. "Yes?"

He tossed the keys to her. "Those are to the locks in the lab. I like my Turk to have spares handy. Keep those with you at all times, if you would."

Amy dropped them into her coat pocket. "I will, Doctor."

Peirte noticed her apparent level of fatigue. "Abran, if you would like to go home for a while to rest, I wouldn't protest."

That was an offer she couldn't refuse. "I would like that very much, Doctor."

If nothing else, he knew that a tired Turk wasn't necessarily an alert one. While he, like Hojo, forbade his Turk from escorting him home at night, he did travel with them when going out for other things. "Just make sure that you're back tonight around seven. I have a meeting with a Shinra executive tonight, and would appreciate an escort to the event."

She nodded. "Will do. Thank you, Doctor."

He blew her off and went into his office. Vincent would have to suffer alone for the time being.

------------------------------

Brad set the chopper down outside of Cid's house and cut the engine. He rose from his seat and extended a hand toward his wife in the copilot's seat. "Let's go see what the son of a bitch is up to."

"Okay." Lilly took his hand and they got out of the helicopter.

As they walked up to Cid's house, they saw the pilot pacing on the porch. Brad was immediately concerned-- Cid was actually wearing a suit. He wondered whose funeral they had been unknowingly invited to.

Cid saw their approach and flashed them a weak smile. "Thanks for coming."

"What's going on?" Brad asked.

"I, uh, well…" Cid scratched the back of his head. "Crap."

Lilly knit her brow. She wasn't overly fond of Cid, and wanted to know why she'd been brought here. "Spit it out."

"Well, we needed someone to go with us today." Cid leaned against the porch railing.

"Where?" Brad pried on, seeing that it wasn't going to be easy to pull the truth from his friend.

Jin stepped out of the house, clad in a simple white dress, with her hair done up and makeup on. "Are we ready?"

Brad had never seen the woman in anything other than her work clothes. Even he had to admit that she cleaned up very well. "Jingles…you're lookin' really good."

Lilly, too, was impressed. "Yeah, you are."

Not accustomed to praise like that, Jin rolled her eyes. "Sure. Thanks, I guess."

Seeing Cid in his suit and Jin in the dress suddenly clued Brad in on what was really happening. "Wait, you're not getting married are you?"

Cid shrugged and looked off into the distance. "Yeah."

Lilly was shocked. "Really?"

"I said yeah." Cid took Jin's hand in his own and walked off the porch. "Let's get this over with. Come on, L.C.!"

The boy ran out of the house, dressed in a suit of his own. He was beyond excited that his father and Jin were finally doing this.

With Rocket being as small a town as it was, they were able to walk to the courthouse within five minutes, L.C. running around them in circles the entire way. Cid and Jin had come by earlier to fill out all of the paperwork and pay the fees, and just needed to actually get married.

They went in and needed to wait for the couple ahead of them to get finished. As they waited, Cid hung his head and felt a sting in his eyes, making him quickly turn away from the others. The memory of the day he and Shera had come here to do this very thing came on with a vengeance, and Cid couldn't help himself.

Jin stared over at him, noticing his shoulders heaving slightly. She slipped her arms around his waist and pressed herself against his back. "Cid? What's wrong? Don't you want to do this?"

"Yeah, I do." He wiped his eyes quickly to hide his tears. "I was just thinking about when I was here before, you know."

She understood. "Yeah, I wish we didn't have to do this in the same place. It would've been easier on you."

L.C. came over and grabbed his dad's sleeve. "The lady just said it was our turn!"

Cid smiled at his son. "Then let's get it over with."

Jin and Cid were led into the civil ceremonies room, where a judge was waiting to marry them. Brad and Lilly stood behind them, acting as their witnesses. L.C. stood close to his father's side, fidgeting nervously.

The wedding was short and to the point, and the judge quickly got to the most important part. "Do you, Jinnel Althea Shaefer, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

"I do," she said, with unwavering confidence.

"And do you, Cid Augustus Highwind the Second, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

He hesitated, and Jin nudged him in the side. Cid cleared his throat. "Yeah."

The judge figured that this was good enough. "Then by the power vested in me, I pronounce you husband and wife."

Cid turned and gave Jin his usual smirk before kissing her.

L.C. came over and pulled on Jin's arm. "Hey?"

She looked down at him. "What's up?"

"So can I call you Mom now?" he asked, his blue eyes looking hopeful.

Jin knelt down to be on his level. "L.C., you can call me whatever you want."

The boy threw his arms around her neck, with tears in his eyes. He felt like he was really part of a family for the first time now that his father and the woman who had been there his entire life were married. "Thanks for comin' back."

She smiled, putting her arms around him in return. "No problem, L.C."

------------------------------

Tifa sat staring at her son. He'd remained on the floor of his cell in the corner now for hours on end, and she was beyond worried. Aaron had ignored all of her attempts to speak to him, just staying where he was, silently rocking back and forth slightly. The way he looked terrified her.

Porter had brought some food down earlier, and although Tifa had forced herself to eat since she had a baby to nurse, Aaron's sandwich and chips still sat wrapped in their respective packages, untouched.

Having been worried about Quigley, Tifa had sought an update on the researcher's condition from the former Turk, and he'd happily informed her that Quigley had come through his surgery fine and was awake and talking. This was at least a small relief, but this news also went by without Aaron's notice.

She had to wonder exactly how much a six year old boy could take before losing his mind, and she feared that such a line had already been crossed with her son.

------------------------------

Porter sat in a chair at Quigley's bedside alone, as Rayna had needed to go up into town for a while.

Quigley, having a good amount of painkillers in his system, was sitting up in his hospital bed, propped up by a half dozen pillows. He couldn't help but stare at his currently bound up arm, thinking of what it must look like under it's wrapping. Thanks to all of the drugs in him at the moment, he found himself able to not think about his dead brother, and it was a welcome break. "You know, I think I just realized why people get hooked on these painkillers."

Porter cocked an eyebrow and looked up from the magazine in his hands. "Oh?"

Quigley gave a lazy smirk. "Yeah, this is really, really great. I feel _good_."

Not being used to seeing Quigley stoned, Porter couldn't help but laugh. "I'm glad you're enjoying yourself, Quig."

"Yeah, I am." He suddenly looked thoughtful. "Hey, Port?"

"Yeah?"

"You ever gonna get another dog?" he asked, taking his eyes from his arm for a moment.

Porter sighed, thinking about both D and Virgil for a while. D had been sacrificed to save Vincent, and Virgil had passed away about a year ago due to kidney failure. "I don't know. I think about it a lot and I miss them, but I just haven't been able to bring myself to go to the animal shelter to look."

"Well, I think you should." Quigley ran his free hand through his messy blond hair. "I liked having a dog around in the lab."

"Then why don't you get one?" Porter asked.

"That's an idea." Quigley smiled faintly. "Not like I have any other companionship in my life. I ain't even been laid in like eight months."

Porter perked to attention. Quigley hadn't admitted to having any relations with anyone in well over five years. This was news to him. "You had sex? I thought you had resigned to the celibate life a long time ago."

Thanks to the drugs, Quigley didn't hold his tongue. Normally, he didn't volunteer such information. "No, I do get some on occasion…actually, that one time eight months ago had been like the first time in maybe four years or more."

"Try five years." Porter laughed. "The last one I knew of was that girl working in the cafeteria that you saw there off and on for a few years."

"Okay, before eight months ago she was the last one." Quigley sighed. His love life had always been lacking, despite the fact that he was a nice guy and cute in a slightly nerdish sort of way.

Porter couldn't help himself and he dropped his magazine to the floor. "So, who was it? Anyone I know?"

Quigley blushed slightly. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me."

The researcher grinned. "Jingles."

Porter raised his eyebrows. How Quigley could have managed to nail the Ice Queen Supreme was beyond him. "Are you hallucinating?"

He shook his head. "No, I'm completely serious!"

"How'd that happen?" Porter settled in, wanting the details.

Quigley closed his eyes. "She'd just come back from Highwind's place and was down here in the cafeteria. It was pretty late and I came down here too, looking for a midnight snack. When I spotted her there, sitting alone crying, I couldn't help myself and I took up the place across from her and asked her what was wrong. They'd had some hellacious fight, I guess and she said she was over him. Since I'd never seen her show any sort of emotion other than her usual horrible bitchiness, I knew that she was really upset. I just sat there and let her talk it out, seeing that it was helping her on some level. Then she did something that surprised the heck out of me."

"What was that?" Porter leaned forward, knowing that it was getting to the interesting part.

"She told me right to my face that the only way she felt like she could get back at him for all of the time he'd spent with Tifa was to just fuck some random guy, and that I happened to be that guy." Quigley chuckled to himself quietly. This was not something he ever figured could happen in real life.

Porter laughed as well. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah." Quigley's expression betrayed the fact he was being honest. "She stood up and leaned over the table, grabbed the collar of my shirt, pulled me up and kissed me. I couldn't believe it."

"That's crazy." Porter tried to picture this event taking place, but it was such a strange concept that he couldn't quite get his mind around it.

"I know!" Quigley flipped his free hand. "So, she grabs my hand an pulls my out of the cafeteria and to my room. We went inside and she started kissing me again, and then she shoved me back onto the bed. It was insane. She stripped out of her jumpsuit really fast and then sat on the bed next to me, and undid my pants. I was too shocked really to do anything, I mean, nothing like that had ever happened to me in my life. Jin then laid down and told me to quote, 'fuck her brains out'."

Porter broke out into a full on laugh. This was easily the funniest thing he'd ever heard. "And you agreed, right?"

"What could I do? She asked!" Quigley was as red as he could get. "I mean, I am a man, Porter, and she's kinda hot, you know."

He'd never found the female mechanic attractive, but that had always been more a result of her crappy attitude. "Damn, Quigley, you're right. That was insane."

"You know what's really funny?" Quigely met Porter's gaze.

"What's that?"

"The next night, I guess, she did damn near the same exact thing to Ericson!" The researcher shook his head.

"I'll be damned." Porter never ceased being amazed by the little social dramas that unfolded within the base. "She went after the two loneliest guys here."

"Hey, I guess she knew us losers would be desperate enough to give in. But hey, I'd never been with a woman that was that demanding and forceful. I have to admit, I liked it." His dark eyes narrowed mischievously. "I know that if Mr. Highwind ever found out, though, that I'd be a dead man, so don't go saying anything, okay?"

"Your secrets are safe with me, Quig." Porter couldn't stop smiling.

Over on the other side of the room, a sly grin came to Reno's lips as he listened in on the entire conversation while feigning sleep, filing it away in his mind to use in jest at a later time. He sighed, feeling Angel adjust the way her arm was draped across his chest. Life was still worth living.

------------------------------

Sephiroth decided to go check on his little brother down in the prison block. Having been in his room all day with Jeanine, he was presently unaware of all that had occurred that morning. Since his wife had decided to take a nap, Sephiroth had supposed that this was as good a time as any to go see Aaron.

As he walked down the corridor to the cells, he noticed that there were spots on the concrete floor that hadn't been there before. He stooped down out of curiosity, and saw that they were dried blood.

When he stepped into the detention area, he spotted Tifa sitting upon her bed with the baby in her arms, and Aaron huddled in the rear corner of his cell. He walked over to Tifa, noticing that there was a large bloodstain upon the floor close to her bed, and he became concerned. "Tifa, what happened here?"

She brought her tired eyes up to meet his gaze. "Oh Jaras, this morning, Quigley came to give Aaron the drug to get rid of the demon within him, but it didn't work. Then, Aaron…changed and almost tore Quigley's arm off. Now, Aaron won't talk or move from where he is. I'm so worried about him, he's never been this upset in his life."

Sephiroth looked over at where his brother was sitting, still rocking back and forth as his eyes stared down blankly at the floor in front of him. Knowing that he and the boy had a special connection, he decided to try something. "Tifa, why don't you go out and do something with the baby for a while, so that I can try talking to Aaron, alone."

Although she wasn't eager to be away from her son, she figured that she'd give Jaras the chance to try getting through to Aaron. "All right."

He watched approvingly as she rose from the bed and slowly walked away. Once she was gone, Sephiroth turned his attention to Aaron. "Little brother?"

Aaron didn't seem to hear him at all. His mind was devoid of thought at the moment, and he had the outside world tuned out completely.

Sephiroth frowned. He realized that the only way he was going to get through to his brother was to go into the cell. Making up his mind to do that, he turned and ran out of the prison block.

He went into the infirmary, figuring that he'd find Angel there. Sure enough, he saw her lying beside Reno upon his small bed. Sephiroth went over to her and gently woke her. "Angel?"

She opened up her eyes and looked over at him. "Hey."

"I need your key to the prison cell that Aaron is in," he said simply.

"No, you can't let him out. I know Tifa's worried but--"

He cut her off. "I'm not going to let him out. I am going to let myself in."

"You can't do that." Angel kept her voice quiet, not wanting to wake Reno.

"Angel, be realistic. What can he do to me?" He narrowed his eyes. "I think I can handle some small demon, don't you?"

Sephiroth had a point. Still, she was reluctant. "I don't know…"

"Angel, my little brother needs me."

To hear the level of concern in his voice touched something within her. Angel reached down into her pocket, fished around for a moment, and then pulled out the prison keys. "Don't lose those, and I want them back the second you're done."

He accepted them graciously. "Thank you."

Sephiroth quickly got back to the cells and went to the door of Aaron's. He slipped the key into the lock and opened it. Once he was inside, he reclosed the door. Sephiroth went over and sat on the ground directly before Aaron. "Little brother?"

Aaron blinked a few time and the looked up at him. "Jaras, what are you doing? Get out before I hurt you, too."

He smiled. "I assure you, you cannot harm me, Aaron."

"I really hurt that Quigley guy this morning, Jaras." Aaron began shaking, partially due to his emotions, but more due to the fact that it was cold in the cell and his shirt was lying on the floor, destroyed.

Upon seeing his brother's arms prickle with goose bumps, Sephiroth quickly pulled off his tee shirt and held it out to Aaron. "Here, take this."

Aaron reached out and took the shirt into his hands. "Are you sure?"

"Go ahead, keep it. I can get another. You need it." Sephiroth gave him a smile. His feelings for his younger sibling were coming up full force as yet another part of Jaras' personality fused with Sephiroth.

The boy put on the shirt, appreciating anything that he got from Jaras. He had looked up to his much older brother all of his life. His mother and father had never told Aaron about Jaras' past, but the boy was sharp, and he'd noticed that his brother bore an amazing resemblance to the legendary Sephiroth. Now, looking at him without his shirt on, Aaron noticed how much stronger Jaras seemed. He couldn't help but ask, needing something to take his mind off of his misery. "Jaras?"

Pleased that he had gotten through to him, Sephiroth smiled. "Yes?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"Anything." He scooted over so he was sitting beside Aaron, and put his arm around his shoulders.

"Uh, don't laugh, but are you and that Sephiroth guy I've seen pictures of on television the same guy?" Aaron felt a little odd for posing the question.

Sephiroth laughed and rested his head back against the wall. This whole mess had begun when he'd been approached about this very thing in his bookstore not so long ago. "What do you think, little brother?"

Aaron turned his neck and looked at him. He'd always known there was something special about Jaras, he just seemed to exude a certain vibe that Aaron had picked up on. "I think you are."

"Can I tell you a secret?" Sephiroth held him tighter.

Aaron just gazed back at him with his crimson eyes.

Sephiroth smiled. "Aaron, I am Sephiroth."

The boy smiled as well. "I knew it."

"Well, you've been correct." He rested his head back against the wall again. "You know about Meteor, right?"

"Yeah, I've watched things about it on T.V. before." The boy nestled into his brother's side.

"Well, after that happened, I was pulled down into the Lifestream and I eventually washed up in Mideel. Jeanine's father found me and nursed me back to health over the course of several months, but I had no memory of my past at all. I lived there, blissfully unaware of the past for years, until ASRIO sent your mother down to Mideel to identify me. I stayed here in this base for a while after that, and helped your mother and our father through some things, during which I regained my memory. Afterward, I went back to Mideel, got involved with Jeanine, and the rest you know." It felt good to tell the truth to the boy.

"Can I ask you something else?" Aaron requested quietly.

"Absolutely."

"Why did you try to destroy the planet? You're so nice, I can't really believe that you were evil like they all say." Aaron turned his neck so he could look into his brother's eyes.

"That's a fair question." Sephiroth hung his head. "I wasn't evil, per se, but all of the Jenova that had been pumped into me made me crazy for power. I can't really explain it. It's as though I was addicted to strength, and getting more of it was all that I wanted, but that wasn't really me, it was the Jenova. I understand that, now. I have always been the same person, memory or not, it's just a matter of how much I was being driven by the amount of Jenova in my body. When I was kidnapped and taken into the lab a while back, they put some into me again, and once more, it took over my mind, wiping away my emotions and making me crave power. I even began calling myself Sephiroth again. My real personality seems to be winning out this time, though, and despite the fact that my body has continued to change from what was injected into me, my mind…my personality has fought through the Jenova."

"So are you Jaras or Sephiroth?" Aaron cocked his head to the side.

"Honestly?" He smiled. "I don't think there's really a difference any more. Somehow, those two parts of myself seem to have come together over the last few days leaving me…just me. But, as for going by one name or another, I have to say that the name Jaras doesn't carry around the same…baggage, if you will."

Aaron moved slightly and put his arms around his brother tightly. "Well, I don't care what name you go by. You're the coolest person I've ever met and the fact that you're my brother…I love you."

Jaras smiled, embracing him in return. "I love you, too, Aaron."


	19. Chapter 19

Out of my curiosity to see which of you that have stuck with me and are now reading this tale, please just leave a review, if you haven't, so I can see who's around! I've gotten attached to some of you over the years, and I'm curious to see where all of the hits I'm getting on this one are coming from J

Your diligent author,

Kristen Gupton-Williams

Chapter Nineteen

Janice sat at her desk, staring at an envelope. She knew what was inside, and she was afraid to look. It was the report on the sample that Dr. Arlin had sent to the lab from Spencer's body. Normally, such a report would have taken longer to get, but Janice had asked for a rush to be put on it, and since the people in the lab knew her, they had gone above and beyond.

After about fifteen minutes of delaying, the doctor finally picked up the envelope and tore it open, pulling out the report sheet within. She placed the paper upon the surface of her desk, pushed her glasses up, and then began to read.

_Patient: Spencer Kenneth Sharday_

_Gender: Male_

_Age: 26 years, 3 months_

_The samples received for one Spencer K. Sharday have been processed, with the following results:_

_Cause of death: Massive Ferium Overdose_

_ Pathologist: Tenna Merian_

Janice took her glasses off and rubbed the bridge of her nose. Vincent had killed him. Everything that they had feared was true.

As if on cue, Angel walked in, having gotten off of Reno's bed. She saw that the doctor looked distressed. "Janice? Is something wrong?"

The older woman frowned. "Sit down."

Angel quickly complied. "What's going on?"

"I know we're already aware that Vincent shot Reno, but we now know that he killed Spencer, too." She handed over the lab report.

Angel's eyes were wide as she scanned the paper. "Damn it."

Janice took the paper back and placed it within Spencer's medical record. "You and I are probably the only two people that need to know this, I think."

The newly appointed ASRIO leader understood. "I agree, this would just make Quigley that much more miserable."

"Speaking of which, did you notice if he was awake before you came in here?" Janice asked.

"Yes, he's out there talking with Porter." Angel got up from her seat.

"Good, I was going to let him leave the infirmary if he felt up to it." Janice rose as well.

"Actually, I came in to ask you something." She locked gazes with the doctor.

"What's that?"

"In the entire time that Reno's been here, I know he hasn't been conscious much, but in the few times that he has, I've noticed something." Angel suddenly looked depressed.

"What has he been doing?" Dr. Arlin crossed her arms, thinking about everything that Reno had done.

Angel had a hard time even saying it. "It's just that when he moves, it's only his right arm that he uses. I haven't seen anything happen with his left arm at all. And when he smiles…"

Janice knew. "Only the left side of his mouth pulls up."

Angel hung her head. "So, it's real."

"For now, he seems to have lost the motor control that he had from the right frontal lobe of his brain, yes. One of the bullet fragments is lodged there." Janice came around her desk. "But it's only been a short time, he could get better."

"I know, and he seems to be willing to beat the odds." Angel forced herself to smile. "I just know that if he ended up half paralyzed, that it would really mess with him."

"Well, of course it would, Angel. It would be hard on anyone, but again, let's not jump to conclusions just yet. It hasn't been long enough." The doctor placed a hand on the other woman's shoulder. "Just give him some time."

"Okay." Angel knew that it was premature to be panicking about this, but he'd already come so far that she might have been expecting too much.

"If you want to try and help him, next time he's awake, ask him if he can feel his left side at all, and if so, where. Touch him and try to get him to move." Janice shrugged. "If there's still no sign of improvement in a day or two, I'll have the physical therapist come down and begin working with him."

Having been reassured, Angel smiled faintly. "All right, thanks Janice."

------------------------------

Tifa had returned to the prison area, finding Jaras sitting on the floor of Aaron's cell, against the back wall, with the boy sleeping at his side. The fact that Jaras had taken off his shirt and given it to Aaron touched her and she gave him a wide smile, but remained silent, not wanting to wake her son. Yet, she wondered how he'd gotten into the cell and if there was any chance of him being in danger.

Jaras in the meanwhile remained perfectly still, not minding staying where he was since he knew that Aaron was happier with him here.

Eventually, the boy woke up and saw that his mother was in the other cell again. He looked at his older brother for a moment, before getting up and going over toward her. "Mom?"

She gave her son a smile. "What's up?"

"Is that guy okay?" Aaron wondered.

Tifa nodded. "Yes, he's going to be all right."

"Good." He motioned toward his bed. "I want to go to sleep there, so you need to get away from the bars, okay?"

"Okay, Sweetie." Tifa got up from the bed on her side of the bars and moved away a safe distance, realizing that it would make Aaron feel better.

Seeing that she was out of reach, Aaron went ahead and lay down upon his bed, pulling the blanket up over him. The transformation into his inner demon today had absolutely drained him.

Jaras got up and went to his brother's side. He looked down upon Aaron. "Are you all right if I go now?"

"Yeah, I'm feeling better. I just want to sleep." Aaron gave him a smile.

"You do that. I'll be back to check on you." He reached down and patted the top of the boy's head. "I'll see you later, little brother."

"Okay."

With that, Jaras turned and went to the cell door, pulling out the key, unlocking it, and letting himself out. As he started to leave, Tifa came to his side, Charlotte sleeping in her arms. "Jaras?"

"Yes?" He looked down into her eyes, with his usual intense expression.

"How did you get the key to go in there?" she asked, more than a little curious.

"I asked Angel if I could have it and she let me."

"But why would she do that? I mean, why wasn't she worried about you getting hurt?" Tifa found it strange that he'd been given access.

"Because she's well aware that he cannot harm me, Tifa." He smiled at her faintly.

"He could attack anyone, though. You should have seen what happened this morning," she said quietly, not wanting her son to overhear.

"I'm not just anyone, and you know that." He sighed heavily.

"What are you saying, Jaras? After your immersion in the Lifestream, you became normal." Tifa felt a little silly pointing out the obvious, besides, the Jaras she'd come to know over the years was relatively timid and shouldn't have asked to go in the cell to begin with.

Jaras reached out and placed his hands upon her shoulders. "I suppose you are just going to have to take my word for it. Now, if you don't mind, I need to get back to Jeanine."

Tifa didn't really understand what had just transpired between them, but she was grateful that he'd seemingly gotten through to her son somehow. "Well, thanks for helping Aaron."

He shrugged. "I would do anything for my little brother." Jaras pointed to the infant in her arms. "That goes for my baby sister there, too."

She couldn't help but smile. Jaras always had been, and always would be a little weird.

He turned away from her and made his way back to his room. On the way, he stopped into the infirmary to give Angel the key back. He found her sitting at Reno's bedside.

Angel reached out and took the key as he held it toward her. "Thanks, Seph."

He knit his brow and narrowed his eyes. "Actually, just call me Jaras."

"But I thought…" She let her words trail off, seeing that there was a lot on his mind.

"So did I, but I'm beginning to realize that I'm not really two people, but rather just one that sometimes has been overpowered by Jenova, but beneath it all, I've been just…me." He offered her a small grin.

Somehow, this comforted Angel, and she smiled back at him. "So, you've come to some sort of epiphany, then?"

Jaras nodded. "Thanks to our little brother, I have."

"And were you able to help him in return?" Angel asked.

"I think I might have." He laughed to himself.

"Well, I think you should go see your wife." She looked away from him as she put the key back into her pocket.

"Why? Is something wrong?" Jaras became concerned.

"Just go see her, Jaras." Angel glanced at him and gave him a smile.

"All right. I'll see you later." Jaras turned and walked out, going quickly to his room.

Upon entering, he found Jeanine sitting on the couch, and she looked nervous. He went over to her side and sat down. "Is something wrong?"

"Jaras, I need to talk to you about something, and I don't want you to freak out." She couldn't bring herself to look at him.

His heart started pounding and he picked up one of her hands. "What's going on?"

"I went to go see Janice to see about getting back on something. I wanted to do it the day after we had that last talk, but she was too busy until now." She took a deep breath. "Before she'd give me a new prescription for birth control, I had to take a test."

He stopped breathing, his eyes dilating wide. "Jeanine…"

"I'm sorry, Jaras, but I'm pregnant." Inside, she was thrilled, but knowing how upset he'd become the other day, she feared his reaction.

Jaras got up from the couch and took a few steps away. He ran his hands down his face, trying to get a grip on the feeling within him.

Jeanine felt herself begin to tremble. Part of her suddenly became terrified about her husband finally snapping.

After taking a deep breath, Jaras turned around and faced her, his eyes narrowed as he studied her.

She felt the color drain from her cheeks as he stared at her. Jeanine wondered if she had been foolish in telling him at all.

He cocked his head to the side and knit his brow. "Jeanine, what's wrong?"

This was not what she was thinking he would say, and it caught her off guard. "Huh?"

Jaras came back over and knelt before her, picking up one of her hands. "You don't seem happy."

"I thought you were going to go ballistic." Jeanine couldn't understand what his reaction meant.

Shaking his head, he almost laughed. "No, it's okay. What's done is done, and we're just along for the ride now, right? Besides, I know how much you wanted this. It's…it's okay."

Jeanine leaned closer to him. "Are you sure?"

"If you're happy, then so am I." Jaras took her into his arms and kissed her.

Honestly, Jeanine had never been happier in her life than at that moment.

------------------------------

After her short reprieve, Amy was heading back to the Shinra building, obeying Peirte's order to be back by seven. She parked her car and got out of it, and as the makeshift Turk neared the building doors, her phone rang. Amy stopped walking and answered. "Hello?"

It was rude. "I assume you got into the building without any trouble last night?"

"Yes, Sir."

"All right. I don't care where you are or who you're close to. I'm going ask you some questions, and you will just answer either yes or no. Do you understand?" Rude was presently standing outside of the President's office.

"Yes," Amy replied simply.

"Good." Rude tensed his jaw. "Okay, has Mr. Valentine shown up?"

"Yes."

"And did Dr. Methius kill him?" Rude closed his eyes, dreading the answer.

"No."

"Is Dr. Methius…unhappy with him?" He couldn't imagine why Vincent hadn't been killed outright after failing his supposed mission.

"Yes." Amy wanted desperately to spill the whole story, but she knew she had to restrain herself.

"Do you believe that Dr. Methius will kill him?"

"Yes." She emphasized the word as much as she could.

"Will it be soon?"

Again, she put her emotion into her reply. She wondered if Vincent may have even died while she'd been gone for a few hours. "Yes. Rude, Mr. Valentine said something when he got here, and I need to know if it's true."

He scowled at her blatant disregard for his order to say yes or no. Then again, she'd just been put in the most dangerous position of damn near any plant in the company, and he owed her. "What's that?"

"Mr. Valentine said that he killed Reno…" her throat tightened up at the thought.

"Reno's still alive, but he's hurt severely." Rude had a feeling that he knew what she was wondering.

She had heard some of the conversation through the office door the night before, and Amy was well aware that Vincent had come to Shinra with the intent of selling out ASRIO. This, coupled with the fact that he had shot Reno made her question why she was here. "If Mr. Valentine did that, and if he came here with the intent of giving Dr. Methius ASRIO information, why is ASRIO interested in if he's alive or not? I'd think we'd want him dead."

"Traitor or not, he's Angel's father. I would imagine that she still loves him."

This bit of information was not something Amy had ever been made aware of. Most of those who had come to work for ASRIO over the last few years were simply not told. "Her father?"

"Yes." Rude gave little thought to whether or not Angel would have wanted this information passed on.

"I see." Amy looked up at the building that loomed before her. "Is there anything else, Sir?"

"No, that's good enough. Thank you." Rude simply hung up.

She slipped her phone into her pocket and went inside. Amy wondered if ASRIO was going to retrieve Vincent. Traitor or not, she didn't want to watch his further torture.

Once in the lab, she noticed that it was quiet, very quiet. She looked over at the cage, seeing that the door to it was open and that the bed within was vacant. For a moment, she thought that Vincent had probably died.

"Abran, thank you for being on time. That was the one area that Toskin had trouble with." Peirte was standing next to an exam table, and Amy quickly saw that Vincent was strapped to it, and still alive.

She walked over, trying to get an appreciation for Vincent's condition without blatantly staring. "Dr. Methius, may I ask what you're doing?"

He motioned at the bound man before him. "Mr. Valentine here, seems to be determined to survive his withdrawal."

Feeling that she'd been given his permission to look, she turned her gaze down to Vincent and studied him. His bruises had darkened over the hours, and his color was now ashy as his ferium withdrawal had drained absolutely all of the energy from him. He seemed to be conscious, but just barely. His dark eyes were only half-open and glassy, and he was staring into nothingness.

Amy swallowed hard-- he looked horrible. "And if he does survive this, then what? I know a man like you must surely have a plan."

Peirte smiled. "I didn't honestly expect him to last this long. But, this man here has proven to be a most interesting test subject in the past. Hojo literally cut him to pieces, and he survived. Mr. Valentine is a hard man to kill, although I guess I know that five bullets to the heart will do it." He actually laughed.

Amy couldn't see the humor in that particular thought, and just nodded.

"Of course, the heart he's using now is one I built, and it should prove durable. In fact, I would theorize that's why he's managed to survive his withdrawal. His old heart surely would have given out by now. Even people with healthy ones die of cardiac arrest during withdrawal. That's not an issue for him. Knowing this, I think it would almost be amusing, if you will, to see just how much he can tolerate before some other part of his body fails him fatally." Peirte smiled, his last words had almost been seductive to himself.

"You're going to torture him to death?" Amy asked, managing not to sound as disgusted as she felt.

"I won't just torture him for the sheer pleasure of doing it, I will record everything, for the pursuit of science, of course." He reached down and placed his hand upon Vincent's chest. "Tearing this man apart will just make me that much more like the person I most admire. An homage to Hojo, if you will. After all, Vincent here was his most beloved project, his unfinished work. Hojo came to believe that this man was almost impossible the break. Well, I want to find that breaking point." Peirte's sickest perversion was starting to rear-- the one that had honestly gained him his reputation. Like Hojo, he found intentionally causing pain alluring, entirely irresistible. In a word, he was a sadist.

Amy had to hide the fact that she now physically felt sick. "And when do you intend to start this…project?"

"As soon as we return from our little outing. Speaking of which, we should probably get going." Perite turned away from Vincent and walked off.

She hesitated, gazing back down at Vincent for a moment. Amy realized that she didn't know all of the story, and even if Vincent had shot Reno, she was sure that he didn't honestly deserve what he was about to suffer. Before turning to walk away, she whispered to him, "I'm sorry."

------------------------------

Reno came back to consciousness. "Babe?"

Angel, who was still dutifully sitting at his bedside immediately stood up and appeared in his line of sight. "You're awake."

He tried to shift his position in the bed, but the pain that instantly ran through his head when he did so forced him to stop. "Damn it, I'm really hurtin'."

"Do you want me to have Janice give you something?" she asked, not wanting to watch him suffer.

The thought of having his mind clouded with more drugs didn't really appeal to him at the moment. He felt like he'd been asleep far too much, and he was sick of it. "I wanna get up and go home, to tell you the truth."

"Reno, you haven't moved the left side of your body since you woke up." Angel figured that just laying it out on the line frankly was the best option when it came to her husband.

"That's because…" Reno stopped. At first he'd intended to say that he was tied down to the bed, but he realized that such a thing didn't really make much sense.

Angel reached down and picked up his left hand. "Can you feel anything?"

"Yeah, I can feel you holding me." Reno put all of his effort into it, and his fingers curled around her hand weakly. He was immediately proud of himself. "See, I can move, I guess I just hadn't tried to. I _am_ right handed, Babe."

Angel had to laugh at him. He had a point and she suddenly felt a little silly. "God, I was worried that you were half paralyzed. You hadn't moved your left side at all since getting here, and only the left side of your mouth moves when you smile."

"That's because the whole right fuckin' side of my face hurts like hell." Reno, not having any understanding of the human nervous system scoffed. "That would be really stupid about my body, though. Why would my left side be fucked up when I was shot in the right side of the head?"

She sighed, "Reno, the right side of your brain controls the left side of your body below the neck."

"Really?" He honestly had never heard of such a thing. Reno had been truant during most of his high school biology courses. Now, he almost regretted it. "That seems a little ridiculous."

"Hey, I didn't come up with the system." Angel was starting to wonder if he was honestly going to suffer any long-term mental affects of his trauma. So far, everything seemed to be going well.

"Still, I want out of here." Reno once more gave sitting up an effort, and managed to pull it off.

Angel was flat out shocked. The man had just had a fourth of his face blown off and he seemed determined to leave the infirmary already. Medically, she wondered how safe this move was on his part. "Reno, I don't think you should be getting up like that."

He quickly agreed as the room started to spin wildly. "Oh…"

She helped him lay back down. "Don't try that again for a while."

Reno had no intention of reattempting that maneuver. "Yeah, I felt like I was gonna puke."

"Your equilibrium is probably going to be off for a while, Reno." Angel stroked his left cheek. "You aren't just going to hop out of this bed and start walking right away."

"Babe, I ain't got a choice! I've got an organization to run, you know that." Reno frowned and looked away from her.

He was in denial of the situation. Angel knew that down deep, Reno understood the rules of attrition set forth by his predecessors in the company. "No, recuperating is your only concern right now."

"I want to get back to work." Reno never thought that these words would ever pass his lips in his lifetime, but there they were, and he meant them.

While Reno could go back to working for ASRIO, the rules clearly stated that upon death or massive head injury, that the next in command be put in charge. This was to prevent someone from potential mental impairment from running the organization, and Reno's wound qualified hands down. He would never again head up ASRIO. That was his wife's job now.

Angel felt her heart break as she forced him to face the fact. "Reno, you know the rules."

"But I'm fine! There's nothing wrong with me at all! So I lost an eye! Big fucking deal!" Reno felt the heat of tears. This job had been all he'd known for years, and the thought of losing his power cut right through him. The idea that he was going to be made into little more than a grunt again hurt him deeply.

She brushed away the tear that trailed down his cheek. "Reno, you know how it is, and you know the reason for it. The rules are the rules, and I'm not going to change them."

"Babe…if you're the leader now, you can change them! You can keep the head injury thing, but make it mean that the person in question has to come out retarded or something! It's not fair…I'm okay…" His voice grew weak and he looked away from her. He knew that this was a futile battle that he wouldn't win. "Fuck it."

"I'm sorry, Reno." Angel bent down and gave him a kiss. "You know I'm going to need you right at my side all of the time."

"No, if you're here working, then I'm gonna be at home watching the squirt. She's not going into daycare, we made that decision a long time ago, remember?" Reno looked at her again.

He was right. Angel smiled at him. "Well, I guess she's going to be spending a little more time down here in the base with us. Besides, she starts school next week. That's seven hours a day that she's gone and you can be here with me. Don't stress about it."

"Fine." Reno pouted. "Can you at least get my…"

"What?"

Reno fell silent. He wanted to ask her to bring his small hand held video game to him, and although he could picture it in his mind, and knew what it was called, for some reason, he simply couldn't say it. "What's wrong with me?"

Angel bent down lower. "Reno?"

"I want to ask you for something, and I know what it is and what its called, but I can't say it…" Reno looked scared, and unconsciously, his hands came together making the gesture of how he held the device.

Angel straightened up. Reno wasn't all right. "Just a second, I'm getting Janice."

The doctor was working in her office, finishing up Quigley's chart when the door opened. "Angel?"

"Reno's having trouble." Angel took a few steps forward.

Janice got up. "What's wrong?"

"He's got some sort of glitch in his mind. He tried to tell me to get something from the house, but he can't tell me what it is, and he seems really freaked out." Angel shrugged. "It's not just that he can't think of what it's called, he says he can, but he absolutely can't say it."

"That's the sort of problem we needed to look out for, considering where the bullet fragments are lodged." Janice wasn't all that surprised to hear this. Reno was bound to have some sort of dysfunction. "We can test this."

Angel followed Janice out and over to Reno's bedside. The doctor pulled a small notepad and a pen from her pocket. "Reno, you can't remember what you want Angel to bring from the house?"

"No, I know what it is, but I can't say it." He looked profoundly distressed.

Janice handed him the pen and held the notepad so he could write on it. "See if you can write down what it is."

Reno didn't see how he was going to be able to write it out if he couldn't say it, but as he watched, his hand reached out to the paper and he quickly wrote the words _video game._ He was shocked. "What the fuck?"

Janice showed the notepad to Angel. "He wants his game."

Angel was amazed.

"Keep this notepad, and if he has trouble expressing anything else, just have him write it. The two halves of his brain aren't communicating normally. Once he's well enough, we can take him up to town and have an MRI done to see exactly where the problem lies." Janice offered a smile. "Or it may just resolve on its own with time."

Angel just nodded and took the notepad. "Okay."

Reno continued to stare at the pen in his hand. This was not going to be easy.

------------------------------

Quigley was lying on the couch in Rayna and Porter's room. They insisted that he stay with them during his recovery, as they knew that life for him in his temporarily one armed state was going to be difficult.

Porter had gone to the lab for a little while, leaving the researcher with Rayna, who was doting on him.

Later, Porter returned and he sat in a chair close to Quigley. "How are you doing?"

Quigley, still nicely buzzed from his pain medication gave him a lazy smile. "Great."

Porter grinned back at him. "Well, I tested the batch of the Chaos drug that you made, and it checks out, so I'm trying to think of why it didn't work on Aaron."

"Well," Quigley sat up, he'd been giving this very thing some thought, "Aaron is Vincent's son, which is to say that he was created using just one cell from Vincent, and one from Tifa."

Porter just sat back and listened. When Quigley was trying to muddle through things, it was best just to let him do so on his own.

"So, he obviously inherited something from his father." He pursed his lips for a moment and thought. "Which means that Vincent wasn't completely cured as we had believed."

"But he's shown no sign of that demon since he was treated." Porter crossed his arms over his chest.

"Right, he's shown no _outward_ signs." Quigley raised his eyebrows. "Maybe, the drug only took away Chaos' ability to physically manifest himself, but it didn't actually eradicate him entirely. If that was the case, and there's something left of that demon within Vincent, and that demon was embedded into him on a genetic level, so maybe he did pass something on."

"But what he would have passed on should have been comparable to whatever he still has in himself, and again, Vincent can't manifest the demon anymore, so why can Aaron?" Porter asked.

Quigley ran his free hand through his hair. "Well, from what we had learned from Hojo's research, the Chaos demon uses RNA to take over Vincent's body. The drug may have just lysed the part of the sequence that let Chaos manifest, but left other parts intact. RNA mutates easily enough, and something could have happened when Aaron was conceived. One small mutation and boom, the demon could show up physically again."

Porter considered this for a moment. "That could be, or it could be something else."

"What do you think?" Quigley had the utmost respect for his partner's insights. He wondered for a moment how someone as naturally gifted in the sciences had ever ended up as a Turk.

"Okay, the drug destroyed Chaos' RNA, and maybe it did kill off all of it, but perhaps the demon wasn't just strictly made up of RNA sequences." Porter leaned back in his chair.

"Go on." Quigley was intrigued.

"In the research, it says that Chaos was introduced into Vincent using a carrier virus, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, maybe that carrier virus didn't infect Vincent with RNA. Maybe that carrier virus actually contained a DNA sequence that was fused with Vincent's own genetic code. Perhaps that DNA sequence spurred his body to produce the RNA sequences that gave the demon a consciousness and the ability to transform Vincent's body. From what we read, Vincent didn't show the ability to turn into Chaos right after Hojo infected him. In fact, if you'll remember, there was a part that explicitly said that it would take Vincent's body years to produce enough of those RNA sequences in order to give Chaos the ability to show himself. He was in stasis for twenty-seven years, and during that time, Chaos was able to gear up for action. But if he hadn't been in stasis, who's to say that it might not have just taken a few years? Vincent hasn't physically manifested the demon since he was supposedly cured, but maybe it's just a matter of time before he does. And if Aaron inherited something like that, maybe it's just taken the six years he's been alive for this to finally happen." Porter was pleased with himself.

"And if that's the case, then that means that Vincent, wherever in the hell he is and assuming that he's still alive…" Quigley's eyes went wide. "Fuck, he might do it, too."

Porter nodded. "Yeah."

"But that doesn't explain why the drug didn't work on Aaron." Quigley looked thoughtful.

"Actually, in a way, it might." Porter cocked his head to the side. "Spontaneous mutations take place during sex cell generation all of the time. One small change to the portion of the DNA that makes up Chaos or whatever Aaron's calling his, and the enzyme within the drug might no longer be capable of lysing the RNA sequence. That drug was designed specifically for Vincent's demon. If Aaron's is just the tiniest bit different, then bingo, no effect."

Quigley was silent for a moment. Porter was absolutely right. "I'll be damned. We have to come up with a drug either to go after the specific RNA in Aaron, or one that can actually get the DNA sequence out of his genetic make up! Porter, to the Bat Cave!"

"You're hilarious when you're stoned, Quig." Porter got up and went to his side. "Let's see how much trouble we can get into working with you dazed."

"Let's go." Quigley let Porter help him up from the couch.

------------------------------

Tifa sat nursing the baby down in the prison block. She heard someone approaching and draped one of the baby's blankets over her shoulder, keeping herself covered, not wanting one of the men to come in and see her like this.

Angel appeared around the corner with her phone, or rather Reno's former phone, in her hand. "Someone wants to talk to you."

Tifa took the phone and propped it between her ear and shoulder so she wouldn't have to disturb the baby as she fed. "Hello?"

"Hey." It was Cid, and he knew she'd recognize his voice.

She smiled weakly, her heartbreak over how things had turned out between them welling up. "Hey yourself. What's up?"

He was quiet for a moment, but finally got up the nerve. "Well, I was callin' just to let you know that I got married to Jin a little while ago."

Tifa knit her brow and bit her bottom lip for a second. This wasn't necessarily the news she wanted to hear. "Oh…okay. That was a little fast."

"Yeah, I know, but like you said, when it comes down to it, time ain't a luxury I've got." Cid was presently sitting on the small bench outside his back door.

"I know." Tifa tried to be a good sport about it. "So, what's L.C. think?"

Cid smiled. "He's all excited. Started calling Jin 'Mom' right afterward. Says it's cool to finally be in a real family."

"That's sweet." Tifa couldn't help but grin a little. L.C. was unbearably cute. "I'm glad that he's happy with it."

"Yeah, he's really missed Jin. That's sorta one of the reasons I went through with it so fast. I mean, I've really put that boy through hell over the last few months, with what went on between Jin and me, and then all that stuff with you. He deserves to have an intact home, and I figured that I could give him that for at least a little while, you know." Cid leaned forward where he sat, staring down at the dirt. "Look, I'm really sorry about everything, Tiff."

She felt tears in her eyes. "It's okay, Cid. You've done what you had to do. Like you said, we were great friends, but we sucked as a couple. We couldn't keep it together for more than a few days."

Cid knew it was a little inappropriate, but couldn't help himself. "Yeah, and now you've got a new trick to teach the next guy you take to bed, huh?"

Tifa outright laughed and flushed red. "I'll admit, you're good, Cid. Being able to do that is going to be a requirement for my guys from now on."

The fact that she would joke with Cid about this made him feel like maybe as friends, they still had a chance. "How's Charlotte?"

"She's doing great."

"And Aaron? Have they been able to help him?" Cid asked.

She looked over to where her son was still sleeping. "They tried the drug this morning, but it didn't work. Aaron turned into that thing and tore up Quigley's arm pretty bad."

Upon hearing the researcher's name, Cid bristled. "Well that mother fucker had it coming. Too bad Aaron didn't rip something else off the bastard while he was at it."

"Cid! Be nice!" Tifa frowned.

"No." He kicked at a rock on the ground before him.

Tifa couldn't help but laugh at him again. "So, it was okay for you to screw around, but not her, huh?"

"Fine, take Quigley's side." Cid smiled, letting his anger go. "I'll just say it was karma and that he's been repaid."

"You're terrible, Cid," Tifa said back.

He mocked her tone. "You're terrible, Cid, yeah, I've heard that one. Come up with somethin' new sometime, okay?"

"We're going to be all right, aren't we?" Tifa asked, feeling much better after this brief conversation.

"I'm starting to think that we just might, Tiff." Cid grinned and looked over, seeing that the others were ready to go out. "I'm gonna go. We're having some sort of stupid reception dinner thing."

"Okay. Have fun." Tifa was a little disappointed that he had to go.

"I'll try. You know I hate this sort of thing." Cid stood up. "Oh, and Tifa?"

"Yes?"

"I still love you, okay?" He felt himself smiling again.

"I love you, too, Cid."

"Okay. Bye." With that, he hung up.

Tifa, smiling, handed the phone back to Angel.

"Is everything okay?" the ASRIO leader asked, putting the phone back into her pocket.

"He married Jin today, I guess." Tifa could tell that the baby was done and got her shirt back on right before pulling the blanket off of her shoulder.

Angel was pleased to hear this, since she felt that it meant that from now on, Cid would stay where he belonged. She hadn't been happy with the pilot hooking up with Tifa at all. "Good."

Tifa caught her tone and was about to question her on it, when Jaras walked in. He'd apparently gone into town and bought a few things for Aaron, since he had a bag from the toy store in his hand. He saw that Aaron was still sleeping, and he set the bag down next to the bars so his brother could get to it when he awoke.

Tifa smiled at Jaras. "What's in the bag?"

"I got him a video game thing." Jaras crossed his arms over his chest. "I figured that he'd like it. He'd mentioned to me once on the phone that he wanted one. I supposed that this was just as good a time as any for him to get it."

"That's really sweet, Jaras." Tifa was grateful for the kindness that Vincent's eldest son had shown Aaron.

"He's my little brother, I had to do something for him." Jaras figured he'd share his news with Tifa now. "By the way, Jeanine is pregnant."

Tifa's eyes went wide. "What?"

"I'm going to be a father, apparently." Jaras smiled faintly. He did have some anxiety over how the baby would turn out-- if the Jenova that had been injected into him would have any effect.

"Oh Jaras! That's great! I know Jeanine's wanted a baby for a long time." Tifa smiled widely.

"Yes, she has." He shrugged. "As long as she's happy, then so am I."

"God, with as great as you do with Aaron, I know you'll be wonderful as a dad." Tifa said this with complete sincerity.

"Thanks." Jaras blushed slightly at the comment.

Angel was relieved. "When Janice told her, Jeanine got really nervous. She thought you would absolutely panic."

"I would have thought so, too. The other day she mentioned that it could be a possibility and at that time, well, I wasn't particularly thrilled with the notion. But then she sort of vented her feelings on the whole situation and I began to realize that maybe I'd been wrong to drag my feet on the subject for so long, and then I just felt bad about it. So, when she told me today that she was in fact going to have a baby, my reservations about it for the most part disappeared. As long as the baby turns out normal and healthy, then things will be all right." Jaras smiled to himself, thinking of how happy Jeanine had been acting since giving him the news.

"Speaking of which, where is she?" Tifa asked, not having seen the other woman in a while.

"She's been very tired for the last few days, and she's taking her second nap today." Jaras eyes flashed with his depth of emotion for his wife. He was clearly a man in love.

Then, Angel's phone rang.

She pulled it back out of her pocket and answered. "Hello?"

"Mrs. Sparks, it's Rude."

Quickly, she motioned of Tifa and Jaras to be quiet. "Yes, Rude, how are things going?"

"Your agent, Ms. Veller, has successfully gotten into the lab, and she's with Dr. Methius," he reported.

Angel was impressed. "That's great! I owe you."

"Don't get too excited yet." Rude pushed up his sunglasses. He was sitting in his favorite diner outside of the Midgar Shinra building, having his dinner. "I spoke with her today, and also to Dr. Methius himself, as he called me to tell me that his new Turk wasn't exactly what he was looking for."

She grew nervous. "Is there any news?"

"Yes." Rude took a drink from his beer quickly. "Mr. Valentine arrived last night."

Angel went over and sat on one of the chairs that had been brought down to Tifa's cell. "He did?"

"Yes. He told the doctor that he killed Reno, and then provided him with the supposed information. Dr. Methius saw that the disc that Mr. Valentine had produced was in fact blank, and feeling that Mr. Valentine should have been more diligent about assuring that the information hadn't been wiped like it seemingly had, he proceeded to beat him severely. Dr. Methius said that Mr. Valentine had actually seemed happy that the information had been taken from him, and that he was proud of Sephiroth for betraying him." Rude picked up the bottle of ketchup from the table and began dumping it upon the pile of fries on his plate. "But he didn't kill him, yet."

To hear what she just had, told Angel that her father truly wasn't an evil traitor. What he'd done, he'd simply carried out because of the ferium and Peirte's manipulation. Knowing that he was alive was a profound relief, and she felt tears come to her eyes. "He's alive…"

"For the moment, but not for long. It would seem that Mr. Valentine was on ferium, and Dr. Methius is withholding any more of it from him. From what I heard, the withdrawal from it almost killed him." Rude stuffed a few of his fries into his mouth. "Dr. Methius outright said that he planned on torturing Vincent to death, just to see how much he can bear."

Angel gasped. "God no… We have to do something."

"No, _you_ have to do something. I've done all I can in this case. I gotten someone in that lab for you, so you have your plant. It's in ASRIO's hands now. I can't risk blowing my own cover, so I won't be contacting Ms. Veller any more. She's all yours." Rude hung up.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty

Amy had accompanied Peirte to his dinner meeting, which is to say that she'd spent the last three and a half hours standing in the corner of a restaurant, while the doctor and some Shinra brass ate and shot the breeze. Once that was done, Dr. Methius had asked her to bring him back to the lab to sit by while he worked, in case he needed any assistance.

For a long while, he'd been flitting about the lab amassing various things together, placing them onto trays and tables that surrounded where Vincent was still restrained. Peirte had gone about this in almost complete silence, since he hadn't wanted to wake Vincent, as he was clearly unconscious.

Now, however, he was ready to get down to business. He motioned for Amy to come and sit in a nearby chair, so she would be close in case there were trouble. With her located satisfactorily, he went to the side of Vincent's table and leaned down close to his face. "Mr. Valentine?"

Vincent didn't respond at all.

Dr. Methius reached out and placed his hands on the sides of Vincent' face, shaking him slightly. "Mr. Valentine?"

Startled out of his sleep, Vincent gasped and opened up his eyes, finding himself face to face with Peirte. His body still longed for ferium, but the worst of his withdrawal was over. Now, the pain of his wounds was all the remained, and as long as he was perfectly still that was bearable. "Why didn't you kill me?"

"Patience, Mr. Valentine." Peirte picked up a syringe from one of the trays. "You'll get what you want, but it won't be quick."

Vincent saw the syringe, with its uncapped needle and held his breath.

Dr. Methius saw this reaction from him and smiled. "Honestly, with all you've been through, this little thing scares you? Hojo mentioned that you had medical phobias, but honestly!"

Vincent closed his eyes. "Why don't you just kill me?"

"What fun would that be?" Peirte reached down with his free hand, running his index finger down the partially healed incision on Vincent's chest. "Besides, having you gives me a unique opportunity. You see, I have a number of drugs and chemicals that I've wanted to see the effects of on the human body, but many of them just cause instant death due to cardiac failure. In you, I have the solution to this, since your heart is presently the most durable part of your body. Ergo, I can use these drugs on you without that one small side effect, meaning that I can see what other things they can do."

_It probably won't be as bad as being cut open, Vincent. _Chaos came to attention after several hours of silence.

Vincent replied to his demon verbally, not quite in control of himself yet. "I know."

"You know what, Mr. Valentine?" Dr. Methius leaned closer to him again.

"That it's better," in his fear his mind, still profoundly damaged by the ferium, betrayed him and made him express his thoughts, "than being cut open."

Peirte laughed. "Oh, if you survive the injections, Mr. Valentine, I plan to dissect you to see what the results within your body were, and I hate getting my tissue samples from dead subjects. Fresh is best."

Vincent had heard that very phrase from Hojo during one of the most humiliating moments he'd been subjected to in the lab. His anxiety spiked, and Vincent's body began to shake.

_One in the same, aren't they?_ the demon growled. _You shouldn't have come back here, I guess._

Vincent just couldn't manage an inner dialogue, and again he answered Chaos aloud. "You told me to come back here, you wanted his help."

"What's that?" Dr. Methius began to walk around Vincent slowly. "I'm afraid you're not making a whole lot of sense."

_Tell him to fuck off, Vincent, _Chaos said, almost amused with the situation for the time being.

"Why don't you tell him to fuck off? I don't think I should be going out of my way to piss him off." Vincent opened his eyes and looked over at Peirte.

Peirte narrowed his eyes. "What ever is going on within your mind, Mr. Valentine? Has the ferium truly shattered you mentally that much?"

"It's not the ferium." Vincent saw that damn syringe in the madman's hands.

"Then why do you seem to be talking to someone else?" He was honestly curious. Part of Dr. Methius wondered if Vincent had already snapped.

_Go ahead and tell him. I'm sure he'd just love to know what's going on in here._

"Leave me alone. I'm sick of your bullshit." Vincent closed his eyes again.

"And was that directed at me or your imaginary friend?" Peirte asked.

Vincent opened his eyes, and locked gazes with the doctor. "What difference does it make? Maybe it applies to both of you."

"I see." Dr. Methius stopped moving. "No matter, let's get to work shall we? This first drug I developed to combat the damage caused by burns. In theory, it should help stabilize some of the proteins that are damaged by heat, however, as stated before, I never got to test it really, since everyone I've given it to died within minutes of being dosed."

_I hope you were paying attention, Vincent. He just said he's going to burn you._

Vincent struggled against his restraints, suddenly losing the last of his composure. His attempts were pointless, but he kept at it until he was physically exhausted.

Peirte rolled his eyes, finding Vincent's apparent cowardice reprehensible. He reached down and picked up the I.V. line that was going into Vincent, which he had placed in the man's arm when he was first pulled out of the cage and strapped to the table. Dr. Methius drove the needle of the syringe into the injection port on the line, and pushed the drug in.

Vincent stopped moving and panted for breath as his strength failed him. A deep burn began to travel up his right arm, as the chemical rushed up his vein and into his bloodstream. He immediately felt nauseous, but with his stomach completely empty, nothing much happened. If he'd possessed a human heart, it would already have stopped from the chemical that had been dispensed into him, but his mechanical heart just kept faithfully pumping away.

Dr. Methius watched with his arms crossed over his chest, observing Vincent for any change. He saw that his prisoner dry heaved a few times, but otherwise he seemed to fair the injection well. "Very good, Mr. Valentine. Congratulations on being the first person in history to survive a dose of that."

This was of little consolation to Vincent. It may not have physically been that bad on him, but the beginnings of his psychological unraveling had been put in place. After all the mental baggage that Hojo had hefted upon him so many years before, Vincent's sanity's breaking point was a lot closer than anyone ever would have imagined. It was a race against time now for him.

-----------------------

Angel felt Jaras and Tifa's eyes upon her. She slipped the phone back in her pocket, knowing that they saw her present state of mind. "That was Rude."

Tifa's eyes went wide. From the end of the conversation she and Jaras had heard, they knew nothing. "What did he just say?"

"That my father is in the Junon lab, and alive." Angel wiped the tears away from her eyes. "But not for long."

Tifa gasped. "Oh God…"

Angel turned to her brother. "Apparently, when Dad saw that you had prevented him from giving the information to Shinra, he said that he was proud of you."

Jaras understood the significance of this. "He didn't really want to go through with it, then…"

"No, I guess he didn't." Angel felt her hands trembling. "Jaras, what are we going to do? We can't let him die!"

Tifa felt a little left out, as the bond between the brother and sister before her kept her to the side. Still, she had to say something. "Please, Angel, if there's anything that ASRIO can do to help him…"

She turned to Tifa. "I'm going to do what I can."

"I'm going to go get him." Jaras crossed his arms over his chest, suddenly looking a lot more like Sephiroth again. "I am the one responsible for all of this, and I am going to be the one that fixes this mess."

Angel shook her head. "No, I'll send in my men. Kimo, Ericson, and Spanky can do this, Jaras. We don't need to risk you."

Jaras cocked an eyebrow. "There is no way I'm leaving the rescue of my father in the hands of someone named Spanky."

"You have a pregnant wife, Jaras." Angel put her hands on her hips. "The last time ASRIO let a man with a baby on the way go on a mission, look at what happened."

"Well, Cid isn't here to sleep with my wife, and I have absolutely no intention of dying on this mission. I _will_ go into that lab, and I _will_ come out with my father." Jaras looked dead serious.

Tifa couldn't believe that Jaras had just thrown out Cid's name, and she realized that he, and apparently Angel as well, knew of her affair. She hung her head in shame and sighed.

Jaras glanced over at his stepmother, but for the moment, his mind was set on action, and his emotions were being driven to the background. Still, he made a halfhearted attempt at an apology. "Tifa, I didn't mean to upset you."

She just shrugged in response. "You're stressed right now, it's okay."

He turned to his sister again. "We need to get on our way _now_."

"All right. Go up to the conference room." Angel ran and hand down her face. "I'll get in contact with the others and we'll all meet in there in a few minutes and come up with a plan."

Jaras gave her a curt nod and strode out.

Angel looked over at Tifa. "You know he didn't mean to slight you with that comment, right?"

Tifa forced an insincere smile. "I know. It's just that I'm used to him being sort of sweet and endearing, not cold and blunt like that. Sometimes, he runs hot or cold."

Angel realized that her brother now seemed to have the ability to turn his 'Sephirothness' on or off as the situation dictated. She knew that until Vincent was home and safe, Jaras wouldn't be Jaras. "That's just how he is, I guess."

"Like his father." Tifa laughed quietly to herself.

Angel nodded in agreement. "Just like his father."

-----------------------

Whether she was supposed to be an iron stomached Turk or not, Amy had run out of the lab and was standing outside the doors of it, covering her ears with her hands, and fighting the urge to vomit any more than she had. She'd endured watching Vincent being injected with the drug without too much trouble, but when Peirte had produced a blowtorch and started to intentionally burn Vincent's right arm with it, that had been the last straw. Vincent's screams carried out here to the hall where she was, and even with her hands pressed over her ears and her humming loudly, she could still hear his pitiful cries.

When she'd run out, Peirte had looked up from his task momentarily, laughing at her inability to watch what was going on. Within just a few seconds of having the flame of the torch upon Vincent's forearm, it had become obvious that the drug wasn't doing a damn thing to prevent him from being burned. However, Peirte hadn't stopped. He'd now been cooking Vincent alive for a solid five minutes, and he had torched completely down to the bone.

Vincent had been throwing all of his weight against his restraints in agony, but it did nothing but amuse Dr. Methius. His voice was hoarse from his screams, and he began slamming his head back into the table he was strapped to in a weak effort to knock himself out.

Chaos couldn't stand it anymore, and he realized that he needed to give Vincent a reprieve from the pain for at least a moment. He reared up and threw Vincent into a seizure, driving the pain maddened man from consciousness for a while.

Upon seeing that Vincent was convulsing and no longer honestly suffering from the burn, Peirte flicked off the torch and set it down. He leaned closer to Vincent's arm, and blew away the smoke that still drifted up from the horrendous wound he'd just created. The air of the room was sickeningly heavy with the stench of burnt flesh, but to Peirte, it was almost like an aphrodisiac.

He shook his head and straightened up. "Well, I guess we can rack that drug up as a failure. Your contributions to science have begun."

Vincent didn't hear a word of it as Chaos opted to keep him from feeling the pain in his arm for just a little while longer.

Dr. Methius walked over to the lab doors and looked out into the hall. He spotted his Turk standing close by, bent over with her hands over her ears, and a puddle of vomit on the ground before her. "Abran?"

Amy didn't hear him as she kept humming in an attempt to shut out the rest of the world.

Peirte got annoyed. "Abran!"

This time she heard him and she stood up quickly. "Doctor, what can I do for you?"

Dr. Methius gave a false smile. "You didn't hold out very long. We have a lot to do to our charge in there, and I will need you to be a little tougher. You _are_ supposedly a Turk, it's time you began acting like it."

"I'm sorry, Doctor. I just wasn't feeling well before I came back," she lied, knowing that it came off incredibly flimsy. Amy took a few steps closer to him.

Peirte smiled down at her. Although his Turk may have been slightly overweight, she wasn't unattractive at all. Already aroused from his torturing, Dr. Methius found himself staring down into her eyes.

Amy caught her breath as she saw the small change in his demeanor. She examined Peirte closely for the first time, since before now she'd been afraid to gaze at him for more than a few fleeting seconds. His short, dark hair had been slicked back today, and his slate colored eyes stared back at her from behind his glasses. The man tended to generally carry on with an annoyed expression, but that, for the moment, was absent. His thin lips were almost hinting at a smile. Evil or not, on some level, the ASRIO plant found this middle aged madman not to be physically repulsive.

Dr. Methius noticed the way she seemed to be studying him. "Is something on your mind, Abran?"

Embarrassed, she turned away hastily. "No, Doctor."

"You know, as my Turk, you're supposed to do whatever I ask."

Amy felt a chill go down her spine, but she was well versed enough in the rules of Shinra to be able to reply. "However, the company forbids Turks from becoming involved with their charges."

"I suppose they do." He took another step toward her. "But that rule has never stopped anyone before."

Closing her eyes, Amy tried to steel herself from running. The mere thought of this man touching her made her nausea return. "Shouldn't you be getting back to work on Mr. Valentine?"

"He's not going anywhere." Peirte reached out and placed a hand upon her shoulder as she continued to face away from him. "Abran, if you plan to survive this assignment, you will humor me in my requests."

Death didn't seem that much worse an option for the young woman. Her heart began pounding as she feared what might happen. She wanted to run away more than anything but in doing so, her cover would be blown, and she knew it. Amy realized that she was possibly the only thing linking Vincent to ASRIO, and the thought of abandoning her assignment here and leaving him alone with Dr. Methius threw her into the worst internal conflict of her life. She didn't know what to do, and she began shaking.

Peirte felt the sudden anxiety from her and he smiled. The doctor took one step closer to his Turk, and pressed his body against her back. He put his lips next to her ear and whispered, "You have nothing to fear as long as you do what I want."

With him against her as he was, Amy felt a stiffness being pressed against her lower back, and she knew what it was. "Doctor, please…the rules…"

"Fuck the rules, Abran. I haven't had a female Turk assigned to me in over eight years." He extended an arm over her shoulder, and pointed to the wall directly before her. "This is what happens to people that anger me, Abran."

She looked to where he was pointing, seeing a cluster of five bullet holes in the wall. A bloody trail had forever embedded itself in the paint, dragged downward from the marks. Someone had been shot here, and from the looks of the bloodstains all around, they had probably been killed. She had three options-- run and fail her mission thus abandoning Vincent to his fate, staying but refusing and probably being killed, or submitting. There was no way for her to win.

"Do what I wish and I won't harm Mr. Valentine any more tonight," he said quietly, his hot breath dancing across the back of her neck. "You obviously seem to be…unfavorable toward watching his suffering."

__

This isn't happening, she hoped in vain. _I just want to go home. I never asked to be a plant, I'm just a handler, for God's sake! I'm just a handler…_

"We can stand here and play this little game as long as you want, Abran." Peirte put his arms around her midsection, pulling her back to him so he could cause more of that pleasant friction between their bodies.

Amy snapped and lost her composure. Tears came to her eyes and she hung her head. Whatever she was about to be put through would be better than what Vincent would continue to endure at the scientist's hands if she didn't distract him for the time being. "Fine…whatever you want, Doctor."

Peirte made her turn around and face him. His eyes narrowed as he placed his hands upon the sides of her face. He leaned forward until their lips met, not put off in the least by the fact she'd just thrown up a few minutes before.

Amy submitted to the kiss, feeling him part her lips with his tongue, which he then let graze against hers. She had never been kissed like this and despite the situation, she moaned faintly.

Peirte pulled away from the kiss, his gaze burning right into her. "Would you like something to help you become…a little more relaxed first?"

Amy felt that there was no way on Earth that she would survive this as it was. The idea of being given alcohol or some sort of sedative first was something she caved to. The woman closed her eyes and nodded slightly.

"All right." His voice was now laced with an almost venomous kindness. He put an arm around her shoulders and led her back into the lab. Peirte brought her into his office and sat her down before his desk. Seeing the tears in her eyes made him frown. "What are you so very scared of? I know at your age that certainly you've done this before. What are you, twenty-seven?"

She blurted out the truth. "No…I haven't. I'm twenty-eight"

"Really?" Peirte was further impassioned at the thought of having a virgin. "Is that so?"

Amy just covered her face with her hands and cried. Maybe running away would have been a better option. She was too confused and terrified to think now.

Dr. Methius opened a desk drawer and pulled out a small amber vial and a syringe. He drew up a small amount of the drug and then knelt at her side. "Take off your suit coat."

She reluctantly did as ordered. Amy couldn't bring herself to look at the syringe in his hands.

Peirte held the syringe in his lips for a moment while he reached out and pushed the sleeve of her shirt up toward her shoulder. He put his left hand around her upper arm, holding it in place and then took the syringe with his other hand and gave her the shot quickly in the muscle.

The sting of the drug was intense, and Amy immediately pulled her arm away and began to rub the injection sight. Through her tears, her voice wavered, "What did you just give me?"

Peirte tossed the empty syringe onto his desk. "Just a little something to help you relax, that's all. Maybe that way, you can enjoy this."

That seemed impossible at the moment. She looked over at the vial that he'd placed on the desk next to her-- _Flunitrazepam. _Amy had no idea what that was and she didn't really care.

Peirte saw her glance at the vial, and he picked it up and dropped it back into the drawer he'd gotten it from. "It's just a mild sedative and with a little luck, you won't remember a thing."

__

God, please don't let me remember any of this, she begged in her mind. Within a few minutes, she started to feel drunk and she slumped forward in the chair.

Not wanting her to fall to the floor, Peirte caught her in his arms. The drug was having its intended effect. He carried her out of his office and out to the main part of the lab and into the cage. He placed her down upon the bed within, and then went out and covered the security cameras. That done, he locked the lab door from the inside to make certain that no one could get in.

As Dr. Methius made his way back toward his intended victim, he glanced one more time back at Vincent, seeing that he was apparently conscious again. "Mr. Valentine, I'm pleased to report that you will be getting a reprieve from anymore experimentation tonight. My Turk has graciously volunteered to…take my mind off of you for a while, if you would."

Vincent managed to lift his head just enough to see Peirte as he stepped into the cage and knelt beside the mattress within. He saw the doctor begin to undress the female Turk as she weakly seemed to try fighting him off.

"Don't…" Amy protested as best she could. Her entire body felt as if it was in slow motion, and her thoughts jumbled. Still, Amy knew what Peirte was up to, and she was aware that she wanted him to stop.

Vincent's blood began to boil as he realized that the doctor was getting set to rape the woman. His anger over the situation blazed through his physical pain, charging every part of his being. He could tell that the Turk was crying, as she continued to try to get away from Peirte. Dr. Methius was carrying on anyway, and he had now stripped away her pants.

"Leave her alone!" Vincent shouted out, as he tried once more to get loose from his restraints.

"Just lay there and enjoy the show, Mr. Valentine," Peirte shot back, as he sat up and began to undo his belt.

Vincent began to draw his breaths in faster, knowing that there was no way he could bear to watch him violate the woman. _I've got to do something._

I think it's time, Vincent. Chaos could feel something different in Vincent's anger-- something that he hadn't felt in over six years.

Vincent growled, and put absolutely all of his strength into jerking his left arm from its restraints. To his surprise, the buckle on the leather strap snapped, and his arm raised up. He reached over and unlatched the restraint around his damaged right arm, and soon had it loose as well.

Peirte didn't take notice of Vincent's success at breaking loose. He had his pants undone and he was kneeling between Amy's legs, stimulating himself for a moment as he watched her continue her pathetic attempts to get away. Not able to hold back any longer, he lowered himself and tried to force his way into her, but before he found his mark, he felt someone's hands grab onto his lab coat and pull him back.

Vincent threw Peirte a good distance from the Turk. The scientist hit the cage bars with a resounding thud, and sat where he'd landed in shock for a moment. His glasses had been knocked away, and he struggled to focus on the figure at Amy's side. "Mr. Valentine?"

Vincent was standing next to the mattress, glaring over at Peirte. His anger over the situation was continuing to build. Vincent's eye narrowed in his fury and he took a few slow strides over toward the scientist.

"Don't take another step toward me!" Peirte said, his fear coming to the surface. He scrambled up to his feet, hastily pulling his pants back up. At the very least, he didn't want to die half clothed.

Amy, in the meanwhile, began to slowly crawl out of the cage, dragging her clothes with her. Her only objective was to get as far away as possible.

Vincent closed the distance between the doctor and himself. He grabbed the collar of Peirte's lab coat and literally picked him up against the bars by it.

Dr. Methius looked down into Vincent's angry expression, and saw that the other man's eyes were no longer the dark coffee color they had been earlier.

They were red.

"Mr. Valentine, put me down!" Peirte demanded as he kicked futilely trying to free himself.

"You want down?" Vincent hurled the doctor to the other side of the cage. "There, you're down."

Peirte was dazed from this second impact for a moment, but he was with it enough to reach beneath his lab coat and pulled out his gun that he'd reclaimed from Vincent shortly after his arrival. He held the weapon up before him. "Stop right there, Mr. Valentine!"

"I told you before, I don't care if you kill me." Vincent's posture bent forward slightly, and he continued to advance. "Besides, I've been shot plenty of times."

Peirte scowled and pulled the trigger. The bullet ripped through Vincent's left side, but it struck nothing vital. Without his glasses on, his aim was lousy.

Vincent looked down at the injury for a moment, and then resolved to submit to the feeling within him completely. This time, there would be no seizure.

The doctor managed back up to his feet again, while Vincent seemed to momentarily hesitate in his advance. He began side stepping toward the cage door, his eyes wide as he watched Vincent begin to change.

Chaos took over, feeling Vincent's body complete the transformation. The demon's wings erupted and unfurled easily, as Vincent had no shirt on. His skin darkened and his whole form became that of the beast that dwelt within him.

Dr. Methius couldn't believe what he'd just witnessed. Knowing that he was no match for such a being, he made a mad dash for the door of the cage, aware that he had to get out before it was too late.

Chaos saw him try to flee and took pursuit, lunging for the cage door. Peirte managed to slip out, and he turned to slam the door. The door locked, trapping Chaos inside, but Peirte had made one small mistake in not getting back far enough and the demon reached out and grabbed the madman's right arm.

Peirte shrieked as he attempted to free himself of the beast's grip. Chaos was not about to let go, and pulled for all he was worth. Dr. Methius' arm was pulled from the socket-- a sickening pop emanating from his shoulder. "Let me go!"

This was just too much fun for the demon. He braced himself against the bars and pulled harder.

With his body now forced against the cage door, Peirte wondered if the monster was going to kill him by simply pulling him through the narrow bars. He found it almost impossible to breathe, thanks to all of the pressure being exuded upon him as Chaos continued to mercilessly disjoint his arm.

Chaos growled in his ecstasy over finally being able to have some revenge upon the scientist. With one last show of force, he ripped Peirte's arm off completely.

Finally freed of the demon's hold, Peirte fell backward and away, screaming in his profound pain. He put his remaining hand over his torn shoulder, and rolled onto his back as his consciousness spun in his agony.

Chaos looked down at the severed arm in his taloned hands. His ability to hold onto Vincent's body began to fade. For the time, he was satisfied with what he'd done. Peirte's screams were the sweetest sound he'd ever heard. Vincent fell to the floor of the cage, his body taking back its own form.

Amy was sitting some distance off, trying in her drugged state to get her clothes back on. She managed to get dressed somewhat, and she pulled herself over to the lab doors. Amy struggled to get them unlocked, but after several minutes she got them open.

The would-be Turk tumbled out into the hall outside of the lab doors, just as a janitor was coming off of the elevator.

He hurried over to her side. "Are you okay?"

Relieved to be out of the lab and away from whatever was taking place within, she looked up into the old man's eyes. "No…"

When he heard Dr. Methius' screams emanating from the lab, he pulled his small radio from his belt and called security.

-----------------------

Jaras waited in the conference room for nearly fifteen minutes before the others began to arrive. First to show up was Kimo, and shortly thereafter came Ericson, Spanky, Porter, and Angel.

They all sat around the table, and Angel took her new place in the chair that had previously belonged to Reno. Being in his place was not what she had ever wanted, but now was not a time for sadness. She looked around the room for a moment, seeing that everyone was waiting for her to speak.

Angel took a deep breath. "All right. Vincent Valentine is alive, and he's in the Junon lab again. Dr. Methius apparently plans to kill him, and I can't let that happen."

Aside from she and Jaras, no one in the room knew that Vincent had shown any remorse for his actions against ASRIO, and the four other men shot glances between each other.

Porter was the only one that dared to say what they were thinking. "All right, Mr. Valentine may have been my friend at one time, but in light of his turning against ASRIO… I know he's your father, Angel, but…"

"He was suffering from ferium addiction, Porter, you know that. His mind had been manipulated by Shinra. He didn't just turn traitor of his own volition, and we've learned that when all was said and done, he was actually happy that he'd ultimately failed his mission. Even if he were untrustworthy, I would rather he be here living out his life in one of our prison cells than to be tortured to death in that lab. Porter, you worked in a Shinra lab at Hojo's side for a long time. You know what it means to be held like that." She kept locked into his green eyes, wanting him to know how important this was to her.

Porter wasn't instantly convinced. "I doubt that Dr. Methius could be as bad as Hojo."

"Maybe or maybe not. We've heard plenty of rumors about him over the years, Port." Kimo crossed his arms over his chest. He'd had the displeasure of meeting Dr. Methius in the flesh before leaving Shinra.

"I know, it's that just in light of how bad things are right now, I'm not sure we should be risking anyone else's life by rushing into the lab in an attempt to rescue someone that might not want to be rescued." Porter leaned back in his chair. He wasn't intentionally trying to be argumentative.

"No one has to go on this mission that doesn't want to." Angel dropped her gaze to the table's surface. "You once said though, Porter, that if Vincent ever needed anything that you would be right there to help him, in light of all he did for you in the past."

Porter knit his brow and sighed. Angel was right.

"Besides, I'm not actually asking you to go into the lab itself, in light of your continued physical disability," Angel said quietly.

Porter looked over at her again. The fact that he had never recovered from what he'd gone through years before had never once bothered him until that moment. Being called on it like he'd just been was emasculating. "Then why am I here?"

"Because you're second in command now, Porter." Angel met his gaze again. "You're involved, like it or not."

The former Turk hadn't given any thought to this at all. Having this promotion thrown into his lap like this was not what he'd expected. "You're…you're making me second?"

Angel offered him a weak smile. "You're the best one for the job, Porter."

Never having been in a position of any real authority before, he wasn't exactly sure what he was supposed to do. The notion that someday he might be in charge should something happen to Angel was overwhelming. He never would have thought he could possibly someday head ASRIO.

Seeing that Porter was, for the moment, no longer going to protest, Angel decided to go on. "In any event, as I said, I want to get Vincent out of that lab, and if anyone doesn't want to be involved, they should leave right now."

No one moved.

"All right." Angel looked at those gathered. "Any ideas?"

"Well, Brad's not going to be back to the base until around ten," Ericson said, having called the pilot earlier when he'd noticed that afternoon that the chopper was gone.

"All right. He'll need an hour or two after returning to refuel, and run his usual checks on the helicopter." Angel looked thoughtful. "So let's say we leave at midnight."

Everyone nodded.

"How do we get in? I know if Reno was here he'd just say drop off on the roof, run down there, grab him and run back up and leave, but as we all know, we were pushing it with that being overdone as it was." Angel smiled to herself.

Kimo thought about the layout of the Junon building, since he'd spent a lot of time there as a Turk. "Let's land on the building across the street and then just walk in."

All those gazed over at him.

Kimo acknowledged them and went on. "I don't know…sneaking in didn't work too well before. If we could have them expecting us somehow, or if there were someone in the building that worked for us who could get away with escorting us to the lab…"

"Amy, Derek's handler is presently in the building under the guise of being a Turk. She should be able to get us in." Angel said, half to herself. It wouldn't matter if Amy's cover was blown at that time, as they could just take her back with them.

Spanky leaned forward onto the table. "Wait, Amy's acting as a Turk? How'd that happen?"

"I needed a plant after we found out that Derek was dead, since I had to have a way to get word of whether or not Vincent was going to show up there." Angel smiled. "Rude got her in."

Porter shook his head. "We can't use her, then."

Angel looked at him.

"If we blow her cover, and she was put into that building by Rude, they might look at him and find out what he's been doing." Porter shrugged. "He's our best person in Shinra, we can't risk compromising him like that."

Angel hung her head and sighed. She wasn't used to coming up with these sorts of plans, and hadn't thought about that small detail. Instantly she knew that making Porter her second in command had been the right thing to do. "You're right."

"The lab is on the fifth floor, right?" Ericson asked.

"Yes." Angel turned her eyes to him.

He thought for a moment. The Junon building was of an older architecture style. The exterior of the building was ornate stonework and glass, with ledges between all the floors. It would be easy to climb. "Let's land on the roof across the street, climb over, and then scale down the outside of the building until we get to the lab level, go in a window and get Vincent. Maybe that way we can avoid tripping the alarms right off the bat."

"But if Vincent isn't in any sort of shape to make it out the window, we would have to get out another way." Angel sank into her seat.

"It's only two floors up to the roof from there." Kimo steepled his fingers before him. "We can use the elevator to get to the roof where Brad can then pick us up-- an homage to Reno's usual way of doing things."

Everyone fell silent for a moment.

Angel stood up. "Then that's the plan. Be on the airfield at midnight. I want my dad."

Jaras got up, too. "As do I."

-----------------------

Angel went to go see Reno. She'd sent someone to the house earlier to get his video game and when she got to the infirmary, the ASRIO leader saw that he was presently playing it, being propped up my a large pile of pillows.

"Hey Reno," she greeted him.

He ignored her for a moment, being too rapt up in his game.

She sat at his bedside, knowing that he would pay her attention when he was good and ready.

"God damn it! That little bastard beat me again!" Reno let the game fall to his side.

"What little bastard would that be?" Angel asked, grinning. His game had a wireless feature allowing him to go at it with others that had the same system.

Reno looked at her. "Mini Vinny."

Angel outright laughed, remembering that Jaras had bought the boy a video game earlier that day. Apparently Aaron was awake and playing. "So you picked up on his signal?"

"Yeah, I can get him from here. He sent me a text message when he picked me up, telling me that he and Tifa were here and in the prison block." Reno picked his game up again. "We started playin' and he's been kicking my ass."

Seeing Reno humbled at his precious game by her little brother made Angel proud. "Serves you right for what you call him."

"What, Mini Vinny? That's his name, Babe." Reno began fidgeting with the buttons as Aaron challenged him yet again.

"No, his name is Aaron." She shook her head. "I'm sending in a team to go get my father out of the Junon lab. He showed back up there, and Peirte plans to kill him."

Reno paused the game and let it fall to his side again. "Oh _really_?"

"Yes."

"And you didn't bother to say a damn thing about any of this to me until now because why?" Reno crossed his arms over his chest.

"Because it isn't your concern anymore." Angel stood up and went directly to his bedside, sitting on the bed. "Your only concern right now is getting better."

He suddenly looked hurt. "I see."

"I had to get things rolling on it quickly, Reno." She reached out and touched his cheek. "Don't take it personally."

"And what are you gonna do with him once he's here? I don't know if you noticed or anything, Babe, but he sorta shot me in the fucking face." Reno pointed to the bandages still covering where his eye once had been.

"He was under the influence of ferium. Shinra was using him. We have to help him. I know you'll never forgive my father for what's happened to you, but I can't let him just be killed." Angel felt tears in her eyes at the complexity of it all.

"So we put him down there in a cell with Mini Vinny? Great, you're whole damn family's hogging up my prison block." Reno closed his eye and sighed.

"_Our_ prison block." She gave him a smile. "I know this is all hard on you, Reno. All I can say is that I love you."

"Yeah, I know." He frowned.

"Reno?" Angel suddenly looked concerned.

He just opened his eye and glared at her.

"Aren't you going to say it?"

"No, not anymore. The ladies sure as hell ain't gonna love me now. Not like this." Reno looked away from her.

Now he was just in a bad mood and pouting. Angel rolled her eyes. "All right, be that way. Can I get you anything?"

He put his right hand gently against the side of his head for a moment, but the words once more failed him. "I can't say it, Babe."

Angel reached over to the nightstand and picked up the notepad and paper, giving them over to her husband.

Still upset with his mental glitch, Reno scribbled down something hastily.

Angel took the paper back and read it, her eyes going wide. "Reno!"

His angry expression faded away and he smiled in his new, lopsided way. "Come on, Babe. I just had a brush with death. I think I deserve it."

"Oh dear God! You get shot in the face and you think you need a blow job before you even leave the infirmary?" Angel tried to feign disgust, but it didn't come off as sincere.

Reno just looked at her and cocked his one eyebrow. "So? You gonna?"

Angel stood up and pulled close the privacy curtain around the bed before getting back to his side. There was no one else in here for the time being. "You're a nuisance, you know that, right?"

Seeing that she was going to do as he wished, he settled back into his pillows and pulled the sheets away from his midsection. "Yeah, get to it."

Angel sat on the edge of his bed. "Fine, have it your way."

"At least I'm still in charge of something." Reno's smile widened as he felt her moving toward him. "I guess I can live with that."

She giggled as she reached out and pulled down the waist to his boxers, seeing that he was already excited about the situation. Angel had always felt completely ridiculous about this particular act, but Reno seemed to live for it.

He closed his eye and groaned as she got to the task. Reno let his hands go downward and get tangled into her raven tresses as he guided her along. The fact that they were doing this somewhere other than in their bedroom got to him, and Reno lost control after only about five minutes. "_Oh fuck…"_

Angel obligatorily took down everything that he gave her, before giggling once more and sitting back up. "There, happy?"

He gave her a lazy smirk. "Yeah. Thanks, Babe."

"Is there anything else you want that isn't obscene?" she asked, pulling his boxers back up and throwing the sheets over him once more.

"Naw, I'm just kinda tired now. I think I'll sleep for a while." Reno reached out and took one of her hands.

"Of course." Angel gave him a smile. He never remained awake for more than a few minutes after any sort of sexual activity.

"Think you could just lay down with me until I fall asleep, though?" he requested sweetly.

Angel nodded, already moving to lay down with him. "You bet. I love you."

"Yeah, I know. As long as _you_ do." Reno closed his eye and drifted off.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty One

Knowing that there would be several hours before the mission, Jaras went back to his room. When he opened the door, he saw that Jeanine was still sleeping in the bed. He went over and lay down beside her, draping an arm over her waist. Jaras nuzzled against his wife.

She stirred and opened her eyes slightly, turning her head to look at him. "Did you get Aaron what he wanted?"

Jaras gave her a faint smile. "Yes. How are you feeling?"

"Just a little tired." She rolled onto her side so she could look at him easier. Jeanine could see that there was something on his mind. "What's wrong?"

He reached up and caressed her face gently. "Angel found out that Dad is in the Junon lab, and we're going in to get him tonight."

"You're going?" she asked, already knowing that he was.

"Yes."

Jeanine closed her eyes and sighed. Jaras had already told her a dozen times that if there turned out to be some way for him to help Vincent, that he would. "I'd beg you not to, but I know you have to go."

He kissed her lightly. "Thank you."

"But before you go, I want something." Jeanine gave him a shy smile. "Since you found out that I forgot my pills the other day, you haven't really touched me. There's nothing to worry about now."

Jaras cocked an eyebrow. He'd been afraid of getting her pregnant, but that fear was now gone. After propping himself up on one elbow, he carefully pushed Jeanine onto her back and kissed her. He invaded her mouth in his timid way, hearing her sigh quietly in submission. Jaras pulled back for a moment and looked down into her eyes, seeing tears there. "Jeanine?"

She was trying to hide her fear about him going, but her eyes had still stung anyway. Still, Jeanine wanted to be with him, in the hopes that he could make her forget at least for a while. "Don't stop…"

With his free hand, he tenderly wiped away the tears that had fallen. Jeanine closed her eyes and tilted her head slightly. Jaras saw her mouth quiver faintly, and bent closer to her once more. He let the tip of his tongue glide over her lips, barely making contact with them, to which she responded by catching her breath.

Jeanine brought her hands up to frame his face, so she could pull him to her mouth, to make him kiss her deeply and not just tease her like he'd done. Even after six years, he still drove her mad.

-----------------------

When security had gotten to the lab, they'd found Dr. Methius unconscious but alive on the floor. He'd quickly been rushed off to the hospital, and one of the guards had managed to retrieve his severed arm from the interior of the cage, since Chaos had cast it off close to the bars.

The surgeons at the hospital were able to reattach it, and thanks to the nerve grafting techniques that had been first used outside of the lab on Vincent, ironically, he would regain use of it once it healed several months down the road. The hospital staff wanted him to remain for a few days so they could observe him, but as soon as he woke up from anesthesia, Peirte began demanding to be released. While his doctors eventually agreed to let him go the following day, for tonight they insisted that he remain and so they sedated him with painkillers to quiet his protests and demands.

Amy, too, had been taken to the hospital, since no one was quite sure what was wrong with her. Once there, the doctors had examined her and figured out that she'd been drugged. After running a blood test, they saw that she'd been given a dose of flunitrazepam, more commonly known as the date rape drug.

As she began to come out of her stupor, the hospital staff started to question her about what had transpired and how she'd been given the drug, but she refused to say anything. Amy was aware that incriminating Dr. Methius in any way would do no more than result in her death. Besides, she was still a Turk as far as Shinra was concerned, and she knew that she needed to get back into the lab to try and help Vincent. After all, he had saved her from her worst nightmare and she owed him.

Within a few hours of being admitted to the hospital, Amy was feeling good enough to get up and she was released. She headed straight back to the Shinra building. Amy made her way up to the lab and entered.

Vincent was in the cage and had picked himself up off of the floor at some point and thrown himself down upon the bed. He'd pulled the blanket over his body, hiding the fact that he was now naked, since his transformation into Chaos had shredded the pants he'd been wearing. His submission to the demon for the first time in so many years, coupled with his exhaustion from his torture, had wiped him out and he'd fallen asleep.

Amy neared the side of the cage. "Mr. Valentine?"

He came to the surface of lucidity, but didn't open his eyes. "What?"

"Thank you."

Reluctantly, he opened his eyes, spotting the female Turk standing beside the cell. "Your employer wouldn't be happy with you carrying on such a conversation with me."

Whether it had been an order from Rude or not, Amy cracked. Part of her felt like her life was going to be over anyway once Peirte got out of the hospital. "I don't really work for Shinra. I'm not a Turk."

Vincent scoffed. "That's supposed to be a surprise?"

She found his tone to still be biting and cold, yet for the time being, she was suffering from a case of 'knight in shining armor' syndrome and it didn't get to her. "To someone who was a trained Turk, I guess not."

He just kept his gaze upon her, not having much else to say.

Amy knelt down on the other side of the bars, to be closer to his level. "I wasn't supposed to say anything to you about this, but I'm with ASRIO. They put me in this lab to keep an eye out for you."

"I'm the last person they should be interested in." Vincent was curious as to why the organization he had almost destroyed would care. Then again, maybe they had wanted to keep tabs on him in case he was going to try something else.

"Well, they _are_ interested in you because they had some pretty hefty strings pulled to get me here." Amy knew at least not to bring Rude's name into the equation in case Vincent for some reason did rat her out. "Your daughter is worried about you."

He closed his eyes and sighed at the thought of Angel. How much he must have hurt her by turning on her husband tore right through him. "She, of all people, should hate me the most. I killed Reno."

Amy smiled faintly. "No, you didn't. He's alive."

Vincent's eyes flew open again, and he sat up, still keeping the blanket wrapped tightly around him. "Alive?"

"Yes." Amy had no idea how much her former boss had already recovered and so couldn't comment on it further.

He hung his head and smiled to himself. Since his surgery, he'd gone to the gun range religiously in an attempt to remake his marksmanship what it had been before he'd gotten his new body. Often, he'd rued the fact that his aim had never entirely recovered, but now, he was suddenly grateful beyond words. Had the bullet hit Reno where he'd intended for it to go, his son-in-law would most certainly be dead.

"I want to help you, Mr. Valentine." Amy grabbed the bars with her hands, wishing she could reach him.

"You should be getting out of here and running to the base before Peirte shows back up and tries to assault you again." Vincent glanced at her for a moment.

"I'm not leaving you in this lab alone to fend for yourself. Peirte gave me keys, I can let you out." She reached into her pocket and pulled out the key ring.

"Don't you dare open this cell up," Vincent growled at her. "You have no idea what could happen if you did that. You saw the monster that lives inside of me. You cannot risk turning me lose onto the outside world."

"You can't stay here!" She felt desperate. "If you do, you know Peirte's going to kill you!"

"I don't care about myself anymore." He slumped forward. "I have no life to go home to, I ruined all of that. I died in that hallway during the mission to free my son. Five bullets to the heart. I've been on borrowed time since then, and with it, I've almost destroyed the lives of the ones that I was supposed to love, the ones I was supposed to protect. Sadly, I failed and Sephiroth-- God damned Sephiroth-- turned out to be the hero and a far better person than I. So let him kill me, it is no concern of mine. You, however, need to leave. Otherwise, you'll die too. There's been enough death, enough suffering. I can't bear anymore blood on my hands than I have. Leave, if you know what's good for you."

"You can go back and apologize, Mr. Valentine. Angel's your daughter, she can forgive you." She was more than reluctant to leave this man to his fate. His comment regarding the five bullets to his heart hit Amy hard, as she realized that the place in the hall Peirte had shown her before had been the site of Vincent's death. "If I knew you didn't want to live, I would have run from Dr. Methius before he tried to force me into having sex with him! We could all have been spared this. I put myself in that position because he told me he'd stop hurting you for the night. If that was all for nothing, though…"

_Let me guess, just one more sin hefted upon you for you alone to bear, right Vincent? _Chaos growled snidely. _If you're just going to stay here to die, I'm going to do everything I can to get us out. You _are_ aware of that, right?_

He ignored the demon entirely for the moment. Vincent honestly felt bad for Amy, but if Chaos was once more able to manifest himself, then he was just too much of a danger to go back to those he loved. Besides, Vincent didn't honestly believe that anyone would ever forgive him for what he'd done, whether he had been driven to do it by his addiction or not. The fact was he would remain in the cage until Peirte killed him, and that would be that. He'd never get the chance to tell Tifa that he forgave her and that he loved her still, he'd never see his new daughter, he'd never again see his sons or Angel, and he'd never get to tell Reno how sorry he was. As far as he was concerned, it was all over with now. "I'm sorry. Please, just go."

"Do you want me to leave the keys with you in case you change your mind?" she asked.

The demon perked to attention. _Yes! You better take them!_

"No," he replied, knowing that Chaos would just take him over the first chance he got and use them to let himself out. "All I want is for you to get out of here. I can at least take some peace in knowing that someone made it out of here alive."

_I'm really starting to hate you, Vincent, _Chaos sulked.

Amy had failed her mission, but living was more important than remaining in this lab now that it was clear that the man before her would refuse a rescue. "All right, I'll go. Is there anything you want me to do first?"

He thought about if for a moment. "Get me a pen and paper."

She got up from the floor and searched a nearby desk, coming up with the requested items. Amy brought them over and slid them through the bars.

Vincent moved from the bed and took them, and began writing. He worked in silence for several minutes, wiping his eyes with the back of his left hand on occasion. Eventually, he finished and he folded the paper carefully. He wrote his wife's name upon the outside of it and passed it to Amy. "When you get back to ASRIO, see to it that somehow it gets to Tifa. Angel will know what to do."

Amy took the note and placed it into her coat pocket. "All right, Mr. Valentine."

He gave her a faint smile. "Go on, before it's too late."

"Okay." She turned and slowly began to walk away.

As she retreated, Vincent had one last thing to say. "I'm sorry for being so terrible to you."

_Oh if I could throw up, I would right about now. _Chaos wasn't able to stand this blatant mush.

The ASRIO agent looked back over her shoulder and gave him a smile. "It's all right, I really wasn't Turk material, I guess."

Vincent laughed to himself quietly and watched her walk out of the lab. She would never return to the Shinra building. At least someone's life had been spared.

-----------------------

Brad set the chopper down on the airfield considerably later than he'd been expected. Cid's reception had proven to be perhaps too fun, and the chopper pilot had helped himself to a little more alcohol than he should have, thus making him delay his return home. As he helped his wife out, Angel came running over. He flashed her a quick smile, thinking that he was going to be in trouble for using the helicopter for personal business. "Hey."

"How long before you can be back in the air?" Angel asked, skipping all of the pleasantries.

"Honestly? Tomorrow." Brad put his arm around Lilly's shoulders.

"Tomorrow!" Angel shook her head. "No! We have to get to Junon tonight!"

Brad frowned. "I'm sorry, Angel, but she was acting up on the way home and I need to run through some of her systems. Besides, I'm an old man and I need to get some rest before I go taking off for another long trip like that."

"We might not have that long!" Angel was feeling panicked. The thought that her father could die simply because the chopper and pilot were both apparently tired got to her. "And who gave you permission to take ASRIO's helicopter off to wherever you went in the first place?"

Brad knit his brow. "Reno never cared."

"Reno isn't in charge anymore!" Angel turned and started to storm away. "Get to work on that thing and let me know the moment it's airworthy!"

Lilly laughed at her husband. "When was the last time you got in trouble like that?"

The pilot shrugged. "It's been a while. I guess I'll be staying here tonight."

"Okay." She kissed him on the cheek. "I'm going home."

"Goodnight." Brad gave her a swat on the rear as she walked away.

-----------------------

Tifa sat on the floor on the sleeping bag she'd been given, since Aaron had asked her not to use her bed anymore as it was within his reach. The baby had been asleep for a while, and she had nothing better to do than watch as her son continued to play his game that Jaras had gotten for him earlier.

Aaron had actually slept through the conversation that had taken place earlier that day, and had no idea that his father was still possibly going to be rescued. Every once in a while, he'd lower his game and have to fight off tears as he wondered about his dad's fate.

When Aaron did this again, this time actually having a few tears fall down his cheeks, Tifa crawled over a little closer to the bars. "Sweetie?"

"I just wish I knew." He glanced up at her. "I miss him, Mom."

Tifa wasn't sure if she should tell him that his father was alive or not. She didn't want to get his hopes up in case Vincent didn't survive. The boy had been jerked around emotionally enough. "I know, I miss him, too."

"Mom?"

"Yeah?" Tifa continued to gaze at her son.

His red eyes met hers once more. "I know that stuff they gave me this morning didn't work, but do you think that they'll come up with something that can?"

"I'm sure that Quigley's going to do everything that he can, Sweetie." Tifa gave him a smile.

"After what I did to him this morning? Why would he try to help me?" Aaron couldn't honestly understand.

"Because he knows that wasn't really you that hurt him." She dared to get just a little closer.

He frowned. "I don't get it."

"Well, even when your father used to change like you do now, Chaos did some terrible things, but I always knew that it wasn't really Vincent, and so I was able to forgive him…" Tifa's eyes went wide. The image of Vincent glaring back at her during their ill fated encounter the morning before he'd departed flashed through her mind. She remembered what she'd said to Cid after running out of the room and into his arms.

It was just like Chaos was back.

"Aaron, I'll be back in a little while." Tifa got up and walked out as fast as she could. She hoped the Charlotte would stay asleep while she was gone.

She got to the lab and walked in, spotting Porter and Quigley together as they often were, hovering over some sort of analyzer. "Hey, guys?"

Porter turned to face her quickly. "Yes?"

"I was wondering if you had any sort of theory as to why Aaron can do what he can? I mean, do you think that there's some sort of possibility that Vincent wasn't actually completely cured?" Tifa went over and sat in a chair close to them.

Quigley, still a little high from his pain medication moved to face her, wavering slightly as he did so. "Yeah, we were talking about that earlier, weren't we, Port?"

He nodded. "We speculated that on some level, Chaos was still in Vincent, but that the drug he'd gotten had just taken away the demon's ability to manifest, but had left some DNA sequence within him."

"And that he was able to pass that on to Aaron," Quigley added. "It's taken all these years for that DNA sequence to kick Aaron's body into a state where he could do what he can."

"If that's the case, then somewhere along the line, Vincent's probably going to start doing it again too, if he lives," Porter finished.

Tifa sat silent. She closed her eyes and hung her head. Vincent and Tifa had always had an emotionally intense relationship as they were both temperamental and stubborn, but the way things had taken a turn over the last few years had seemed beyond their norm. Maybe that demon had been burrowing through his mind during that time, making him the way he'd become. Perhaps he'd even turned to drinking as a means of trying to silence that beast. She had blamed Vincent for it all and maybe, just maybe, it had been Chaos' doing. "Oh my God…"

Porter saw her break down and he went to her side and knelt down. "Tifa?"

"I blamed Vincent…" She looked up into his stunningly green eyes. "I blamed Vincent and it wasn't his fault."

Quigley hated to see women cry, and he rolled his chair over to her side as well. "Have you seen signs of Chaos in Vincent since his supposed cure?"

She nodded. "I think so. I had no idea, though. But now…"

"Hindsight's twenty-twenty?" Quigley offered a smile. It was looking like Porter's theory had been correct. "Port, you're a fuckin' genius."

Not really familiar with the man cursing, both Porter and Tifa stared at him.

Quigley caught their expressions, and knew what it was. "I'm stoned."

They both laughed in response.

Tifa looked back at the former Turk. "So, if the two of you were thinking about this today, then do you think you can figure out what to do for Aaron?"

"At the very least, we can come up with a drug similar to what we tried today, but have it tweaked just a little so that it's geared specifically for his demon's RNA codes." Porter pointed over toward the machine. "There was some of your son's blood on the syringe we used to give him that injection this morning, and we were analyzing it to see if we can single out the RNA code for his demon. Just like with Vincent, as it seems, this drug won't truly cure him, but it will knock the demon back from being able to manifest for a few years, hopefully buying us the time we need to come up with a real cure."

To hear that they at least seemed confident about finding something to prevent Aaron from transforming made Tifa feel much better. "And as for that real cure, what do you think your chances are of finding it?"

"Well, it won't be easy, and it might take us a while. If it truly is something embedded in his DNA, then it might be tricky." Quigley crossed his arms over his chest.

Tifa gave them both a smile. She had nothing but confidence in the two men before her. "If anyone can do it, it's you guys."

Angel came storming in. "Brad came back and says the chopper won't be ready to go until tomorrow afternoon!"

Porter stood up as quickly as he could manage. "That's bad."

"Tell me about it." She went and threw herself down into a vacant chair. "I don't know what to do. We could take the airship, but we'd have to land further away and we wouldn't be able to pick up off the roof. We'd have to run out of the building and to the ship."

"It would probably be best to just wait for the chopper, Angel." Porter went and sat in a chair next to hers.

"My dad could be dead by then, Porter!" There were flames in her eyes. Nothing was going her way.

"Angel…" Porter wished there were something he could say to comfort her, but that was Reno's job, and he wasn't here. "I don't know."

Angel's cell phone went off. Although she wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone, she pulled it out. "What?"

"It's Amy."

Angel immediately stood up and took a few steps away from the others. She could tell from the agent's voice that she was terribly upset. "What's going on?"

Amy was silent for a moment. "I quit."

"Amy! You can't! You're our only plant in the lab!" Angel suddenly had a horrible thought. "Is Vincent…dead?"

"No, not yet, but as soon as Dr. Methius gets out of the hospital, he will be." Amy leaned up against the housing of the pay phone she was calling from. "I've seen things, Angel, that I never wanted to. I can't work for ASRIO anymore after all of this. It's…it's just too much. I'm never going to be the same."

"Amy, please, I'm begging you! Go back in that lab and keep an eye on my father until we can get him out!" Angel felt herself begin trembling in her anxiety.

"He doesn't want out, Angel." Amy closed her eyes, remembering the look of complete surrender upon Vincent's face when she'd left. "He's got some sort of monster in him. Dr. Methius had been torturing him, but he stopped to try…"

"To try what?" Angel knit her brow, feeling the sheer emotion coming from the other woman.

"To try and rape me." Her shame over the situation came out. "Mr. Valentine actually broke free of his restraints and pulled Dr. Methius off of me. I got away, but I looked back and watched as Mr. Valentine turned into some sort of monster. Dr. Methius had his arm ripped off by him, but he managed to trap Mr. Valentine in a cage."

Angel pulled the phone away from her ear and turned back to the others. "Vincent turned into Chaos."

Tifa, Porter, and Quigley all gasped, but they had expected that this would happen at some point.

Angel put the phone back to her ear. "Then what?"

"Then I and Dr. Methius were taken to the hospital. I wasn't hurt and I was released right away, but Dr. Methius has to stay until tomorrow. I went back to the lab to see if Mr. Valentine wanted me to get him out, since I felt that I owed him for getting Dr. Methius off of me, but he said he wanted to stay and die. That if he was able to turn into whatever that was, that he couldn't come back and risk those he loved and that no one would forgive him for what has happened anyway." Amy pulled her suit jacket around her tighter.

"Damn it." Angel closed her eyes and sighed. Knowing that the scientist had attempted to sexually assault Amy made Angel face the fact that she really couldn't ask the agent to go back into the lab. Dealing with that sort of thing was outside of Amy's scope of duty. "Don't quit entirely, though, Amy. Come back to the base, and we can give you a job here. You don't have to be in the field anymore if you don't want to."

"I don't know, Angel. I'm going to have to think about it for a while." She shrugged to herself. "I've been through a lot over the last day."

"I understand. Do what you have to, Amy." Angel went over and sat back down in the chair she'd been in before.

Amy looked across the street, seeing a copy and fax shop. "I'm going to fax over something that Mr. Valentine gave me to give to Tifa."

"All right. You know the number to the fax in the lab?" Angel asked.

"I do." Amy moved to hang up. "I'll talk to you later, Angel. Give Reno my best wishes."

"I will. Bye." Angel flipped close her phone. She turned back to face the others. "Okay…uh, shit. Father's still alive, and Dr. Methius is in the hospital until tomorrow. That means that he'll probably not be killed until some time tomorrow."

"What caused him to turn into Chaos? Did she say?" Porter asked, curious.

Angel nodded. "Amy said the Dr. Methius was trying to rape her, and that Vincent broke out of his restraints and pulled that nut job off of her before turning into Chaos and ripping the bastard's arm off."

Porter looked over at Quigley. "Seems to be the theme of the day."

"I guess." Quigley was grateful that Aaron hadn't possessed that kind of strength.

Tifa caught the underlying meaning. "Vincent stopped Dr. Methius from raping your agent?"

"That's what she said." Angel felt some pride in her father's actions.

"Then he's gotten back some sense of right and wrong." Tifa actually felt herself smile. "Vincent's…he's still there on some level."

"Amy offered to let him out of the lab, and he refused to go with her." Angel sighed heavily. Things would just be easier if her father had some interest in self-preservation. "He said that he couldn't risk being turned loose if he was capable of turning into Chaos again, and that he didn't have anything to live for since he thinks we will never forgive him."

"We don't need to forgive him! This was all Chaos and Shinra's doing! Vincent was just along for the ride." Tifa grew angry.

The fax machine fired up to life and spit out a paper. Angel picked it up and glanced at it for a moment, seeing that it was a handwritten letter addressed to Tifa, she gave it over to her.

Tifa took the paper. "What is this?"

"Amy said Vincent gave that to her to give to you, so she faxed it." Angel said, motioning for Tifa to read it. "See what he has to say."

Tifa gripped the paper in her hands, and slowly brought her gaze down to it.

To My Wife,

So, it looks like that other letter I wrote wasn't the last, but I suppose this one will be. Chaos is back. Believe it or not, he actually prevented something terrible from happening to a woman. Completely out of character for him, huh?

In light of this, though, I'm refusing freedom. After all that Chaos did in the past, I cannot in good conscious, let myself be freed. I would never be able to see you, Aaron, or Charlotte for fear that he would hurt them. That being the case, I have nothing to live for. Besides, I've hurt everyone I love so much during recent events, that I know I'm not wanted back.

The ferium is out of me now, and with it has left the force that drove me to do what I did. I can't explain it. Somehow, that simple chemical was able to turn me into something perhaps far worse than Chaos ever was. Strange to think that was possible.

Sephiroth, Jaras, whoever he is now, has my eternal gratitude for stopping me from selling out ASRIO. Thank him for me. He saved the lives of everyone that works for the organization. He is a hero and deserves the thanks of all those who he helped. Tell him that I love him and that I'm proud of him. He's a good man.

As for Aaron, I heard that he now can turn into something like Chaos. I don't know if that is in fact true or not, since it came from Reno. I thought at the time that maybe he was just telling me that to manipulate me in some way, but now I'm not so sure. If it's the case, then it's just further evidence that I've ruined yet another life. Have ASRIO give him the drug they gave me to keep him from hurting someone or himself, but know that it's not a cure. It didn't cure me. It took away Chaos' ability to come out and in fact, he was completely silenced for a few years, but then he came back within my mind. Maybe if they just treat him with it every few years, they can keep Aaron from suffering what I have. I don't know anything about that sort of thing, so I suppose Porter and Quigley will have to muddle through that. What do I know?

He's been in my head all of this time. It was his attempts to take me over that gave me the seizures. That's the honest to God truth. I drank to get him out of my mind. I should have just admitted this from the outset, but I was in denial and didn't want to face it myself. It doesn't matter.

Tifa, I love you. I hurt you and I drove you away. I accept the blame for that and if I wasn't facing this demon now and if there were some way for everyone to forgive me, I'd come back to you in an instant but that's not how it is. I guess I'm really just restating what I wrote in the previous letter more or less. Maybe I have a one-track mind.

I heard that Reno's alive. You have no idea how relieved I am to know that. He must have been hurt badly, but at least I didn't kill him. Tell him that I'm sorry, tell Angel that I'm sorry, too. Reno didn't deserve that. I should have just turned the gun around on myself, but that damned ferium…

Tell my kids that I love them-- all of them, and remember that I love you, too, Tifa. I wish I could fix all of this. I really wish that I could. Story of my life.

Vincent

Tifa dried her eyes and folded the paper in half. "Poor Vincent."

"What did it say?" Angel asked, coming closer.

"That he loves us and that Chaos ruined our marriage." Tifa laughed to herself, since she'd just come to this realization without him telling her just moments before. "He doesn't want to be rescued, since he's afraid that Chaos will hurt someone again."

"Well, he's getting rescued, whether he likes it or not." Angel looked over at Porter. He'd spoken to her before about his theories regarding Chaos and Aaron's situation. "That drug didn't work on Aaron, but do you think that it will work on Vincent still?"

"It should," Porter answered.

"Then get some ready for us to take when we get on the way to Junon. As soon as that chopper is ready, we're leaving and if that means that we have to go into that lab tomorrow during the day, then that is what we'll do." Angel started toward the door. "I have to go tell the others about our delay."

-----------------------

Jaras was lying with Jeanine in his arms as he kept a watch out of the corner of his eye on the clock. It was time to go up to the airfield for the mission, but he was finding it hard to leave his wife's side. Yet, he still knew that he had to go so he slipped from the bed carefully, tucking the sheets back down around Jeanine once he got her settled. Jaras went to the dresser, picked up the sword that he'd brought back from the lab, and then left the room.

He walked out onto the airfield, finding Spanky, Ericson, and Kimo there. They stood waiting for a while, before Angel showed up. They all turned to her, looking for an explanation since the helicopter was nowhere to be seen.

"The mission has been delayed," she said, stopping at her brother's side.

"Why?" Jaras looked over at her, not pleased.

"Because Brad can't get the chopper back up in the air until tomorrow." Angel scanned over the other men present.

Jaras' eyes seemed to glow brighter for a moment before he unsheathed his sword, spun, and then stabbed down into the grass with it while groaning loudly through clenched teeth. The blade sank into the turf a solid twelve inches. "Damn it!"

The only time Angel had witnessed anything like a break of Jaras' temper had been seven years ago after he'd first regained his memories. She went to him and placed her hands upon his shoulders, which were presently heaving with his furious breaths. "Are you okay?"

He pulled his sword out from the ground and then slowly turned to face her. "Do I look okay? My father, _our_ father, is trapped, waiting to die in some God forsaken Shinra lab, and we have to wait for the chopper? This…this is ridiculous!"

"Well, I'm sorry Jaras, but I don't know what else to do. At the very least, he's safe from Dr. Methius until sometime tomorrow." Angel reached out and grabbed his left hand.

His eyes narrowed. "How do you know? What happened?"

"Amy, our plant, called me to tell me that Dr. Methius is in the hospital. Apparently, our father turned into Chaos and ripped off his arm." She tightened her hold on him.

Jaras actually smiled. "Did he?"

"Yes, and so until Dr. Methius gets out of the hospital, which by all accounts will be tomorrow despite the gravity of his wound, Vincent is safe." Angel gave a small smile of her own. Both she and Jaras were proud of Vincent for managing to extol some measure of revenge upon the madman.

"So we have a little more time." Jaras dropped his sister's hand and resheathed his sword.

"It looks like it, yeah."

Jaras clamed himself down for a few moments before turning and going back down into the base. If they had more time, then he was going to spend it with his wife.

-----------------------

Vincent sat on the mattress within the cage, staring over at the clock that hung close to Peirte's office door. It was presently four in the morning, or at least, he thought it was if the clock were right.

Maybe it wasn't. There was no way for him to really know.

He couldn't help but wonder exactly how he would be killed when Dr. Methius returned, and when that would happen. For the most part, Vincent was hoping that after his last encounter with him, that Peirte would be too frightened to risk bringing him out of the cage for more torture. If that were the case, maybe the doctor would just have a few well-armed guards come in and act as an impromptu firing squad, killing him in the cage. After all, Vincent had been shot to death before, and he knew that it wasn't the worst thing he'd ever gone through. Although, he had to wonder how long it would take him to die after being riddled with bullets, since he now possessed the damn artificial heart.

_Lovely thoughts, Vincent._

_Shouldn't you be silent now? Usually you'd shut the hell up at least for a while after coming out in the old days, you know. _Vincent closed his eyes, resigning to the fact that Chaos wanted to talk.

_That was the old days. I'm not tired yet, Vincent. Sure, I'm too tired to come back out, but I'm fine enough to talk. Besides, what else do you have to do as you sit here dreaming about your death? _Chaos laughed. _You seem to be in love with the idea of dying, Vincent. I guess I can't quite understand it. Then again, I have no soul. After you die, I get to stay in this body, eventually fading into nothingness once the connections in your pathetic little brain shut down once and for all._

_Well, that's just a fucking shame, _Vincent shot back, his mind echoing his sarcasm.

_At least we have a son to carry on this legacy._

Vincent frowned and stood up, keeping the blanket wrapped around him. _He's not your son! He's mine. Don't you ever try to make any claim over him!_

_If he were just yours, then why does he have a demon inside of him, Vincent? _Chaos asked. _Where did that demon come from? I'd say me._

_We don't even really know if he does. Reno could have been messing with me. _Vincent took a few steps and then leaned against the bars.

_What would have been his motivation for doing that? Think about the expression he wore when he told you. You knew him well enough to see that he was being sincere. That boy is just like you, as sure as the sun will come up in the morning, _Chaos thought back.

This struck Vincent as odd somehow and he turned towards the row of windows along the far side of the room. The sun was already coming up, judging from the orange glow emanating through the blinds. The clock was wrong. For it to be that bright outside this time of year, it had to be at least seven.

_Well, it looks like we just lost three hours of gripping conversation, Vincent._

_Shut up, Chaos. I'd really rather not have to spend my last moments on this earthly plane talking to you. _Vincent let his head rest against the cage bars with a dull thud.

_You'd rather spend them wallowing in your self-pity for all of your failures and so-called sins, right?_

_Actually, I'd like to spend them thinking about my wife and children, if you don't mind. I never even got to see my new baby. My little blond daughter. _Vincent felt a burn in his eyes, and closed them again.

_You sniveling idiot. _Chaos hated this sort of sickening sentimentality. It made him ill. _Fine, just give up and let us die, Vincent. I can't take anymore of this shit. You whine and rue your fate constantly. Your existence is pathetic and miserable because you _never_ pull out of your petty little problems long enough to get any perspective on how good you actually had things. You deserve what you get._

Vincent grew angry and slammed a hand against the cage. _Shut up! I know I had a good thing going, and I know that YOU are the main reason that I ruined it! If you'd just stayed silent instead of constantly droning on and on in the back of my mind… I'm the one that's sick of living like this! You've loved every fucking minute of it. You liked watching my life fall apart. You got off on the fact that I drove my wife into having an affair._

_Perhaps. What else did I have to do? I couldn't come out, and your life had become…dull. You never did anything exciting anymore. You sat around the house, went to the gun range on occasion, and bought groceries. Riveting, every moment of it. Stunningly exciting. _Chaos' disgust for Vincent's domestic life was obvious.

_It may have been boring on some level compared to the old days, but it was a welcome break. I was sick of excitement. _His shoulders slumped as he realized exactly how much he missed the simple activities of home life.

The lab doors opened, and Peirte walked in, his arm bound up tightly in a sling. The dressings over his shoulder were soaked through with blood, and the small identification bands that had been placed around his left wrist in the hospital were still present. Since the shirt he'd been wearing before going to the hospital had been ruined, he was topless, save for the bandages that pinned his arm against his chest for the time being.

Vincent looked at him languidly, neither afraid of the doctor's return nor impressed that a man that had just had his arm ripped off several hours before was back at work. He let his eyes fall way from Peirte and back to the cage floor. Honestly, Vincent was just too tired to do anything else.

Dr. Methius stood close to the lab doors for a while, observing Vincent's reaction to his return. He'd hoped for some sign of fear from his prisoner and was disappointed that there was none. Vincent just seemed unmoved by the whole situation.

Seeing that he wasn't going to get any sort of rise out of Vincent, Peirte walked over to his office and vanished inside for an hour, before emerging again with a lab coat draped around his right shoulder, his left arm through its sleeve. He went over to his microscope and sat before it. Peirte pulled out a box of slides and placed one on the scope, before getting to examining it and taking down notes with his left hand.

This struck Vincent as odd. He'd noticed that Peirte was right handed, and the fact that he was now carrying on with his left hand as though it were the most natural thing in the world fascinated him in a way. Vincent stared as he tried to figure it out.

Dr. Methius felt Vincent's gaze upon him for a time, but chose to ignore him until he'd finished with his slides. He pushed his microscope back on the table gently and looked up at his prisoner. "Is something amusing you?"

Vincent figured he had nothing to lose. "You were right handed."

Peirte huffed and rolled his eyes. The pain in his shoulder was making him more than irritable. He held up his left hand. "Actually, I'm completely ambidextrous. I always have been, but I tend to be right dominant. As you can see, however, I can get on with my left with no trouble."

"Then I should have ripped off both of them." Vincent slogged over to his bed and sat down upon the mattress, his back turned to the scientist.

Peirte narrowed his eyes and pursed his lips for a second. "Classy, very classy."

Vincent hung his head and shut his eyes. He hoped that Peirte would just do whatever it was that he planned to do soon.

The doctor got up and walked over toward the cage, making certain to remain far enough back from the bars as to be out of Vincent's reach, even though it seemed like Vincent was absolutely no threat for the time being. "Mr. Valentine?"

He glanced up at him briefly, pleased that the man was staying back. If nothing else, Vincent had made Peirte fear him. That was gratifying.

"How's your burn fairing this morning?" he asked, pushing up the spare pair of glasses that he'd retrieved from his office upon arrival.

Vincent hadn't honestly given it any thought after his transformation the night before. He brought his right arm out from beneath his blanket, and saw that the grotesque wound Peirte had inflicted upon him before was completely healed. With the return of Chaos' ability to manifest himself, apparently his exceptional recuperative powers had been restored. He parted the blanket over his chest and looked down, seeing that the incision over his chest was now gone as well, leaving the remaining surgical staples embedded over the repaired site. "Well…"

"Hojo's notes mentioned that the Chaos demon let you repair your body within just a few hours of injury. I guess that this is evidence it's true." Peirte nodded slightly. "I'm glad I got to see that for myself."

Vincent tensed his jaw and then glared up at the doctor. "Why is it that someone who seemingly has intelligence on some level wastes their time on insane projects and notions instead of doing something useful?"

Peirte's body seemed to get a little more rigid, but then he relaxed again. He knew that Vincent was trying to get to him, and he wouldn't give him the pleasure. Dr. Methius smiled to himself and turned away slightly. "All that is useful has been done. Pure research is by far more exciting, anyway. If there were something 'useful' that I wanted to do, I would. I can do anything, Mr. Valentine. Don't you ever doubt my abilities for one moment, or mock them."

Feeling full of himself and frustrated over everything that had happened, Vincent dared to speak back. "Anything? Then do something like cure cancer instead of wasting time trying to cut through people with welding equipment."

Peirte cocked an eyebrow. "Cure cancer? All right, what type?"

Vincent flashed back to Cid. "I don't know, how about whatever it is that smokers get?"

"Heh, please. Small cell carcinoma?" Dr. Methius took a step forward. "That's been done."

Vincent knit his brow. "Done?"

"A cure, Mr. Valentine, has been found for that. A dozen times over, in fact." Peirte placed his left hand over his right shoulder. It was beginning to hurt more.

"Then why doesn't anyone know what to do for a man that's dying of it?" Vincent asked.

"Because to let that out, as well as the knowledge that many, many types of cancer have been found to be curable would be entirely irresponsible." The doctor actually laughed at Vincent's ignorance.

Vincent didn't understand. "Irresponsible?"

Peirte scoffed. "Tell me, how many people do you think are employed either directly or indirectly in the area of cancer research?"

Vincent had no idea, and didn't respond.

"Thousands, Mr. Valentine, literally thousands." Dr. Methius went over and sat on the edge of a nearby exam table. "And many of those people were educated just to take part in cancer research. If the disease were cured, they would all be out of work. Think of it as killing the golden goose, if you will."

He still stared on silently, not believing what he was hearing.

"Cancer research brings in billions of gil in revenue for both this company and hundreds of other organizations around the world. Do you honestly believe that in all of these years that no one would have come up with a cure for anything? No, of course not. With the unlimited funding given to cancer research by governments and charities, it is one of the biggest scientific industries in the world. In order to keep their coffers filled, different labs will break with news of so-called exciting developments in cancer research, but nothing of real value ever comes out. Haven't you ever noticed that? When all the while, cures have been found for most cancers. But if those cures got out and became public knowledge-- boom, the collapse of an entire industry, and the loss of limitless funds. It would be a sad day, indeed. Besides, people need to keep dying. If we gave out the cure, the life expectancy average would skyrocket, making the overpopulation problem that much worse. There is no good reason to let the cures out. Ergo, we keep them closely guarded, hidden lest those in cancer research work themselves right out of a job."

Vincent inwardly shuddered at the sheer evil greed that was corrupting the field, if Peirte's claim were true. "Right. I bet there is no cure. You're just unable to admit that there's something you _can't_ do."

Dr. Methius narrowed his eyes. "You honestly doubt me?"

"Maybe I do." Vincent glared right back.

"Just a moment." Peirte hopped off the table and went into his office. Several minutes later he returned with a laptop computer in his left hand. He sat it upon a table close to Vincent's cage and typed on it for a moment before turning it around so Vincent could see the screen. "Read it and weep."

Vincent got up from the bed and went to the bars. As he squinted at the screen, he could make out the words there. It was all medical babble, but the message was clear. This was the drug formulary for the cure to the type of cancer that Peirte had mentioned earlier.

He wasn't bluffing. There was a cure, and apparently, many more.

Vincent felt sick. Maybe he didn't care anymore if Cid lived or died, but Tifa sure as hell did. She would be miserable when Cid actually succumbed to his disease. That almost made Vincent want to break out and get this information out to the world.

Almost.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter Twenty Two

Jeanine woke up and stretched, before suddenly realizing that she'd slept all night. Beside her, the bed was empty and she grew terrified that Jaras had slipped out in the night to go on the mission and that she had missed him. Her heart raced as she regretted not saying goodbye.

Then, the bathroom door opened and he emerged, a plume of steam from the shower billowing out around him. He stood there in his newly found glory, his defined muscles standing out beneath his skin, his long hair hanging about his torso in its wet tendrils. Since they were alone, he'd dispensed with the usual towel around the waist routine and so he was completely naked.

One of his eyebrows cocked upward upon seeing his wife's stare. "You're awake?"

Jeanine crawled off the bed and went over to him, placing her arms about his shoulders. "When I woke up and you were gone…"

"The mission has been delayed. We'll be leaving shortly." He gave her a smile. "I was right next to you all night."

With as good as she'd slept, Jeanine knew that he'd been with her. When Jaras wasn't, her sleep was troubled at best. "I thought I had missed saying goodbye to you."

Jaras placed a hand beneath her chin. "There's no need to say goodbye, Jeanine. I'm coming back. You need not fear otherwise."

------------------------

At some point, Peirte had apparently noticed that Vincent had nothing on, save the blanket wrapped around him. This being the case, Dr. Methius had retrieved another of the white jumpsuits like those he'd given Vincent and Spencer after their surgeries.

Peirte had pulled the jumpsuit out of a locker in the lab, and being too afraid to go close to the cage, he'd tossed it toward the bars, and Vincent had to go over and reach out to pull it to him.

Vincent had slipped it on. He hadn't been eager to accept anything from Peirte, but clothing was just something he couldn't refuse.

So now Vincent was dressed, and sitting upon the mattress. He was silent for the time being, just being mentally cursed by Chaos for having refused Amy's attempt at rescue.

_This is stupid. I would think that you would have taken ASRIO's help and gotten out of here. Yeah, I'm inside you and you think I'm dangerous, but that drug they gave you, Vincent-- it pushed me away for a while. Why didn't you just start thinking about going and getting more of it? Why? I mean, it's not that I enjoyed being torn apart by that chemical, but… _Chaos was willing to do whatever he had to in order to survive on any level.

Vincent rolled his eyes and sighed. _Because as soon as we would have gotten out of here, you would have taken me over and done what you could to keep me from getting that drug, Chaos. You killed my fucking brother, if you'll recall, during your previous attempt to keep me from being treated with it. I can't risk putting anyone in danger like that. Besides, even if I was given it, what would the point be? The people I love will never forgive me._

Chaos inwardly screamed in his frustration. He'd grown accustomed to getting Vincent to bend to his will when he'd been on the ferium, and this return to his adamant refusal to give in to him infuriated the demon.

Peirte looked up from the papers before him. The doctor had begun reading through some research at a nearby table as he debated over what to do with his prisoner. He noticed that Vincent's lips were moving but he was making no sound. The vacant look in his prisoner's eyes told him that Vincent was carrying on some sort of conversation with himself that his mouth was unconsciously mirroring. He set down the paper in his hand and just watched.

Vincent realized that he was being stared at and he turned his eyes over to the scientist.

"Oh, did I interrupt you?" Peirte asked snidely. "Please, go right on voicelessly ranting."

Vincent sighed again and narrowed his eyes. Why Dr. Methius wasn't just getting it over with and ending his life he had no idea. He figured that he might as well ask. "Are you going to kill me or not?"

"You know, I don't think I've ever quite faced someone so impatient to die, Mr. Valentine." Dr. Methius reached over and placed his left hand against his aching shoulder once more. "I told you that you'd get what you want. For the moment, I'm not actually feeling all that well, if you can imagine, and I was hoping just to get a few small tasks done here before moving on to that. From what I've read, I know you can understand what it's like to have your arm torn off of your body, Mr. Valentine. I would hope you would be a little more sympathetic to what I went through last night."

_Sympathy? _Chaos was amused by this.

On some level, so was Vincent. "Well, just be glad they were able to put it back on you. The results of my amputations were a whole lot worse."

"You have a way of making the wrong enemies, Mr. Valentine." Peirte got up from where he was sitting and came a little closer.

Vincent faintly smiled at the idiocy of such a statement. "And whom exactly would the _right_ enemy be?"

Peirte's physical pain got the better of him and his anger welled up. "I don't want to hear any sarcasm from you!"

"Or what? You'll kill me? Well, then do it." Vincent's smile lingered. Somehow, he was in a position of power now, controlling at least a part of the situation.

Peirte wanted him scared, but not being able to touch Vincent, he couldn't do anything to him to make him feel afraid. "Maybe I should have some guards come up here and shoot the hell out of you but no where fatal. Then you could just lie there bleeding in misery."

"And now that Chaos is part of me again, those wounds would heal within hours. Big deal." Vincent got up from the bed, pleased in the way that Dr. Methius instantly took a step back even though he was out of reach. "If you're going to shoot me and have it mean anything, then you're going to have to aim for things that are vital." Vincent's smile returned, and he pointed to the side of his ribcage. "Here, for instance. I was shot here once and it damn near killed me. Why don't you give it a try?"

Peirte scoffed, and leaned against a table. "You think you're a funny man when you're not being tortured don't you, Mr. Valentine?"

Vincent couldn't help himself. His exhaustion and stress began to make him act cocky. "I think I have my charms."

Dr. Methius snapped. He picked up a binder from the table he was leaning upon and hurled it at Vincent's cage. Needless to say, it just bounced off the bars and hit the floor. "I'm going to make you regret this! All of this!"

"Go ahead and try." Vincent stepped closer to the bars. "I fucking dare you."

"Have it your way." Peirte stormed off to his office, rustled around inside for a few moments, and then came back with his assault rifle in his hand. Using the weapon would be incredibly difficult with one hand, but he was determined to try. He wedged the gun between his body and left arm, putting his finger through the trigger guard.

Vincent turned to face Peirte square on, to give him as much of a target as possible. He held his arms out slightly from his sides and closed his eyes.

A burst of gunfire ripped through the silence, and all five bullets that Peirte had just let off flew harmlessly past Vincent, through the cage, and into an expensive lab machine onto the other side of the room. It sparked and went dead.

"God damn it! Mother fucker!" Dr. Methius ran to the other side of the lab, quickly examining his beloved analyzer, seeing that it was destroyed. "Shit!"

Vincent was confused for a moment, as he didn't feel the bullets hit him. Upon hearing Peirte's outburst, he looked to see that he'd been completely missed. Nothing ever went Vincent's way. Then again, he shouldn't have been that surprised that the aim of a one armed man with poor eyesight using a rifle like that had been so bad. However, watching Peirte come completely unglued before his machine as it sat smoking was worth it, and Vincent laughed briefly.

"That's it!" Dr. Methius threw his rifle to the floor. "You think this is funny? Are you amused, Mr. Valentine?"

__

And you're just going to keep pushing, aren't you, Vincent?

He just shrugged.

Peirte glared. He was at his wit's end. His arm had been ripped off, his fun of torturing Vincent was gone, and now his most used machine was destroyed. He gathered himself briefly and then smiled at Vincent. "Fine."

Vincent wasn't sure what was going on, but watched as Peirte slowly walked past him and out of the lab. Vincent was once more alone.

------------------------

The intercom within the base cracked to life at exactly eight thirteen in the morning. "All mission team members are to convene upon the airfield at once. The mission is a go."

Jaras was sitting with Jeanine on the couch in their room. He gave her a smile. "That's me."

She reciprocated his expression and nodded shallowly. "I know. Go on and get Vincent."

He gave her a lingering farewell kiss before getting up, motioning for her to stay put. "I'll be back as soon as I can. Try to relax."

Jeanine had tears in her eyes, but forced her smile to remain. "Okay, be careful."

"I will." He then turned and exited the room, picking up his sword on the way out.

Once on the airfield, Jaras found the others waiting next to the helicopter. When they saw him approaching, they all got onboard. Jaras sat next to Angel.

She examined her brother. "Ready?"

"More than you could possibly know." He scanned over the other men in the chopper. "I hope this isn't going to be in vain."

Angel shrugged. "I know this will sound strange, but I spoke with Tifa right before leaving, and she assured me that Vincent was still alive. She said she just _knew_."

"Well, I hope that she's right." He rested his sword across his knees and settled in for the long haul.

------------------------

Vincent had fallen asleep after waiting for Dr. Methius to return for what seemed like an hour or so. He glanced over at the clock, seeing that it read ten thirty. If it was consistently three hours off, then that made it half past one. Where Peirte had gone in this time he could only wonder.

Peirte had, in fact gone home for a while. He'd gone up to the offices of the higher ups right after leaving Vincent to inform them that he needed a replacement for the piece of equipment that he claimed Vincent had destroyed that morning. Afterward, the pain in his shoulder had just gotten to be too much and he'd left the building. Dr. Methius had gone home, self medicated, and then he'd gone to bed for a few hours.

But eventually, Peirte had felt better. He'd since returned to the building, and had gone about doing what he had to do. Finally, the lab doors opened.

Vincent looked up and saw the doctor enter, flanked by two Turks that he'd borrowed from the executives upstairs. _This should be it._

Damn you, Vincent. I hope you like hell. Chaos was furious.

"Mr. Valentine, I do believe your time has come." Peirte sauntered over to the side of the cell, still remaining out of Vincent's reach.

He slowly rose up from the bed and came over to the bars. Vincent was resigned to his fate. His hands went forward and gripped the bars, in an attempt to keep himself from falling backward after being shot. If he was going to face death, he wanted to do it standing up, not lying heaped on the floor of this miserable cage.

The two Turks pulled out their guns and came a little closer to the cell than Peirte dared to go. They took aim.

------------------------

The helicopter set down on the roof of the building directly next door to the Shinra office. Everyone exited, and the helicopter remained in place. This building was several stories taller than their objective, and no one there would be able to see the chopper if it remained.

There was an alleyway separating the two buildings and Ericson looked down, seeing that there was no one below to see them. "Clear."

Kimo and Spanky went to his side and pulled out grappling hook guns from their packs. They fired lines across the gap between the buildings, but only Kimo's took hold.

They had all donned harnesses during the flight, and once Ericson made sure that Kimo's line was safe, he hooked onto the rope and slid to the roof below them. Once he was situated, the others came across as well-- Kimo, Spanky, and Jaras.

Angel remained on the other building, positioned to keep watch for their return to the roof. Silently, she prayed.

Once everyone was over, Ericson ran to the northeast corner of the building and examined the situation. Two floors below him were the windows to the lab. He reached back and touched the submachine gun strapped to his back, reassuring himself.

The others came to his side, and Spanky got to the task of securing a rope so they could safely make their way down the side of the building to the ledge along the fifth floor.

Again, Ericson was the first one down. He made sure to stay close to the corner as he repelled down two floors, not wanting to be spotted out of any of the building's windows. He made it down to his mark in less than twenty seconds. Three minutes later, he'd been joined on the ledge by all of the others. Ericson got onto his hands and knees and crept along the ledge, toward the lab windows, staying below the window line, as to not be seen as he went. The three men behind him did the same.

Once he was below the lab windows, he carefully got onto his knees and looked in. Most of his view was blocked by some piece of equipment, but he smiled. The window in front of him was actually open. Fate seemed willing to cooperate for once. He deftly pulled the screen from the window silently, setting in on the ledge next to him, and then pushed the window open just far enough for him to get his body through.

He entered without making a sound and kept low. Ericson crept along the floor, until he was able to see around the machine blocking his view. He spotted Vincent in the cage, facing Dr. Methius and two Turks. Quickly, he got back to the window. He motioned for the others to come in, giving them hand signals to tell them that two armed Turks were present.

The four of them huddled hidden in the corner for a moment. Using sign language, they quickly came up with their plan.

_Spanky, you fire at the Turk closest to us, _Ericson signaled. _Kimo, you take the farther one. Once they're down, Jaras, you get your father out of that cage. I'll get Dr. Methius._

Jaras nodded and accepted the key that Ericson held out to him.

Ericson faced toward their objective and held out his right hand, three fingers up. He counted down.

_Three._

The Turks in front of Vincent cocked their guns.

_Two._

One.

Gunshots rang out through the lab, and the Turk farthest from the windows hit the ground first, having been the object of Kimo's deadly accuracy. Spanky fired upon the other Turk, injuring him but not managing a kill shot.

Vincent looked and saw the ASRIO agents.

_Yes! _Chaos was ecstatic.

_Shit, no! _Vincent was not.

Dr. Methius shrieked in surprise and attempted to flee out of the lab, but Ericson raised his weapon and let out a burst of gunfire.

Peirte stopped running instantly and braced himself against the closest exam table. He slowly looked down, seeing that there were three bullet exit wounds upon his chest. Blood bubbled forth from them and he coughed up blood.

Jaras gave no attention to what was going on, and didn't notice as Spanky went over and fired a single round into the head of the Turk he'd failed to kill outright. He slipped the key he'd been given into the lock and threw open the cage door.

Vincent slowly turned to face Jaras. "What are you doing?"

He stepped inside the cell and neared his father. "Saving you, let's go!"

Vincent shook his head. "No…"

Jaras wasn't in the mood. He grabbed his father's right arm and pulled him along as he stepped out of the cage.

Vincent looked over, seeing that Ericson was standing over Peirte, with his weapon trained upon the scientist. The only reason that he hadn't fired and killed him yet was that Peirte had managed to turn around, raising his free hand in surrender.

When people surrender to ASRIO, ASRIO agents don't kill them.

Vincent wasn't with ASRIO. He jerked his arm from Jaras' grip and went over to the doctor's side. As he examined Peirte for a moment, he saw the three bullet wounds that he sported and Vincent knew already that he was looking at a dying man. But this wasn't the death Peirte deserved. Far from it.

Chaos couldn't pass this sort of opportunity up. Quickly, he seized control over Vincent's body, taking his form instantly, causing the jumpsuit that Vincent had been wearing to rip to shreds and fall to the floor around him.

Peirte looked up with terror in his eyes. He attempted to say something, but when he tried to speak, blood ran forth from his mouth as his lungs were quickly filling with it.

Ericson knew enough to back off quickly. He wasn't about to tangle with Vincent in this form. He looked at the others and shook his head. "Let's get out, now!"

Kimo and Spanky instantly complied and started for the doors, but Jaras didn't move. He wasn't going to just abandon his father.

Chaos stooped down and bared his teeth at the mortally wounded scientist. "How's dying?"

Dr. Methius was not capable of responding or escaping. He sank to his knees as his strength began to fade. _Please just let me go in peace…_

The demon laughed. This was just all too wonderful. He reached out and drove the talons upon his right hand into the doctor's midsection, then forcing him back up to his feet.

Peirte's eyes begged for mercy, but that was something that Chaos wasn't familiar with. He pushed his claws into the madman further, enjoying his reaction. Dr. Methius reached out with his functioning arm and braced himself against Chaos' chest. His world was beginning to spin from his pain and blood loss.

Chaos took his left hand and put it around back of the doctor's head, forcing it to the side, so that Peirte's neck was offered up. The demon brought his snout down against Dr. Methius' neck and opened his jaws.

A sickening crunch was heard as Chaos bit deep into this quarry's neck, snapping it. Peirte's body went limp in his hands and he let the dead man fall back to the floor.

Chaos then turned to examine the scene. The three ASRIO agents were at the lab doors begging Jaras to join them in their escape, but Vincent's son wasn't budging. He'd made a promise that he wouldn't leave the lab without his father, and he intended to stick with it.

The demon took a few slow strides over toward Jaras. "You betrayed me…"

His cat like eyes narrowed. "I had no choice."

"Everyone has a choice." Chaos grinned, exposing his blood stained fangs. "You perhaps just made the wrong one."

Jaras stood his ground and unsheathed his sword. If he had to strike his father down and carry his body back to the base, then that was what he intended to do. Surely Sephiroth could handle a creature like this.

Chaos sensed the change in the man before him. "You have a demon of your own, I see, just not one the manifests physically."

Sephiroth smiled faintly. "It would seem so."

"I see." Chaos prepared to lunge, but Vincent was fighting as hard as he could to come back out and save his son from such a fight.

Sephiroth held his blade out before him, ready to do whatever he had to.

Seeing his son there, about to be the subject of his attack gave Vincent the strength he needed to push the demon from his mind and body if just for a moment. He took back his own form quickly and knelt down on the floor, gasping for breath.

Jaras sighed in profound relief and resheathed his sword. He looked around quickly, spotting Vincent's cloak lying upon a nearby counter. After retrieving it hastily, he went to his father's side and threw it around him. "Now, let's go."

Vincent rose to his feet, shaking in his exhaustion. He pointed over at a table close to the cage. "Get that laptop."

Jaras looked over his shoulder and spotted the small computer. He knew that Vincent must have a good reason for wanting it and so he hastily retrieved it, tucking it under his left arm. He placed his right arm around his father's shoulders and led him toward the lab doors.

Up in the security room, the guard on duty was asleep in front of the monitors. The events in the lab had unfolded without his notice and the alarm had never been sounded.

The five of them got out of the lab and to the elevators. They opted not to push their luck and took the stairs instead, heading up toward the roof. As they stepped out into the afternoon sun, Angel spotted them from the roof next door and she ran back to the chopper. Within a minute, the helicopter descended toward them and they all boarded.

Vincent collapsed into a corner seat, keeping his cloak pulled around him.

Angel landed at his side and embraced him. Tears filled her eyes. "God, I thought I'd never see you again!"

The fact that his daughter would throw herself at him like this in light of all he'd done touched him on some level and he looked at her, his eyes narrowed. "Why? Why do you still care?"

She shook her head and sat back. "Because I know that what you did was the fault of Shinra and the ferium!"

Vincent, so programmed not to trust anyone, couldn't just accept that. His expression remained doubtful.

"We didn't just write you off as evil!" Angel was hurt by his less than warm reaction.

He looked away from her. "You might as well have. I've got Chaos again, I can't be near any of you."

"We can give you the drug! I have some now!" Angel pointed over at her medical bag.

Vincent knew the outcome of any attempt she would make to dose him. "If anyone goes near that bag, Chaos will take me over again and kill everyone in this chopper, Angel. Don't even think about trying it."

She was hit hard by this, but realized that it was the truth. "I won't."

"Good." Vincent tensed his jaw and pulled his cloak around himself tighter.

"There's a spare set of clothes over in that pack. Can I at least get those for you?" Angel asked, motioning toward the item in question.

Again, the offer of clothing was something that Vincent couldn't refuse. "Yes."

Angel slid from the seat and retrieved the pack. She handed it to her father, not wanting him to become suspicious of anything.

Vincent managed to dress, although it was an awkward proposition as he felt the need to do it with his cloak covering his body. The last thing he wanted was his daughter seeing him naked.

Jaras moved from the seat that he'd taken and knelt before his father, with the computer he'd brought in his hands. "What's on here?"

Vincent scoffed. "The cure for cancer."

"No, really, what's on here that's important?" Jaras asked again, thinking that Vincent was being sarcastic.

He locked gazes with his son and scowled. "The cure for fucking cancer, okay? Need I spell it out for you?"

Jaras was taken aback by his father's tone, but then again, he'd been through a lot and was entitled to some measure of moodiness. "Really?"

Vincent dropped his eyes away, not thrilled that he might be saving Cid's life. "Yes, really. The kind of cancer that Cid's got, in fact."

Angel was speechless for a moment. "There's a cure for cancer and no one knows about it?"

"As Peirte explained it, letting the world know that there was a cure was 'wholly irresponsible'." Vincent felt no need to go into it further than that. "There's a formulation on there, and I'm guessing that your man Quigley will be able to figure it out."

The fact that her father had killed the man in question's brother made the color drain from Angel's cheeks and she sat back in her seat. "If anyone can, it'll be him."

"Then he can get it to Cid." Vincent hung his head and clenched his teeth. "He doesn't deserve it, but if I can spare Tifa the pain of her best friend dying, then so be it."

Angel forced herself past what she was thinking about Spencer. "That you thought to have that computer brought along because of what's on it will mean a lot to Tifa. Cid got married yesterday."

Vincent turned to face her. "Did he?"

"Yeah, to Jin." Angel frowned. "Otherwise we would have been here to pick you up last night, but Brad was gone to attend."

The fact that Cid had, in a way, been responsible for the delay in his rescue, wanted or not, somehow didn't surprise Vincent in the least. "Figures."

Jaras, not wanting to be responsible for something as important as was on the computer, handed it over to his sister. "I think you should hold on to this."

She accepted it from him and set it in her lap. "All right."

Seeing that his father was in no mood to talk, Jaras went back over to his seat and rummaged through his pack, coming up with his reading glasses and his book. Within minutes, he had the outside world completely blocked from his notice.

------------------------

It was close to seven when the chopper set back down in Costa del Sol. The sun had just dipped below the horizon, casting the airfield into darkness.

Angel hadn't radioed ahead, since she wanted there to be no fuss made over their return. She knew that Vincent would want it as low key as possible.

Ericson opened the door on the side of the chopper as the engines were cut and he hopped out. The other's soon followed, Vincent being the last, but when he got to the door, he hesitated in getting out and to the ground. He'd seen a glint in the moonlight of something dangling behind Spanky's back, and realized that he was holding a pair of cuffs. Vincent turned his expressionless gaze to his daughter. "Angel, if he tries to restrain me, Chaos will come out and kill him. You are aware of that, right?"

She quickly motioned over for Spanky to drop the restraints, and a clank was heard as they hit the tarmac. A second sound echoed when Ericson dropped the pair he was holding as well. The plan had been to restrain Vincent upon landing, but that suddenly didn't seem like a reasonable idea.

Vincent glared at everyone as they waited for him to make some kind of move. He wasn't trying to be unpleasant, but he knew what was at stake and he couldn't risk hurting anyone. "I want everyone to step back from this helicopter. Once I'm on the ground, no one moves."

All those present obliged and took several steps backward. It was clear that Vincent was not to be messed with for the time being.

With everyone what he felt to be a safe distance away, Vincent slowly got to the ground, keeping a watchful eye. Within him, Chaos was poised for action if he felt threatened. Vincent couldn't let that happen. He began to back away from the group. "I'm going, and no one follows. Understood?"

"Tifa's down in the base, don't you want to at least see her and the baby?" Angel asked, not willing to let her father just vanish into the night.

His expression softened, betraying the depth of emotion he was feeling at the moment. "Angel, there's nothing that I want more, but I'm too dangerous. If I hurt anyone, I… Just let me go."

A painful wave of helplessness came over her and she tried to take a step forward, but her brother grasped her arm and kept her at his side. She looked at him with tearful eyes. "Jaras!"

He just shook his head a little. "We have to do what he asks. Maybe later we can do something for him, but for now, if he needs to leave, then we have no choice."

Vincent, seeing that Angel was being held back by his son, turned and in a flash he ran off, disappearing into the night. Tears marked his cheeks as he went. He'd seen that his family was willing to take him back, but Chaos made that reunion impossible. Vincent hated the demon that much more. He knew of a place he could go to hide where no one would ever find him and that's where he chose to go. It would take some time to get there, but at least he knew where _there_ was.

Angel turned to her brother and fell into his arms. "Damn it, Jaras…"

He held her tightly as he stared off toward where Vincent had run. "I know, but this is the way it has to be. He's just protecting us, and he's doing it because he loves us, Angel. I don't think we ever need to doubt that."

------------------------

Tifa looked up from the baby in her arms and saw Angel and Jaras come toward her. The expressions they wore scared her. "What happened?"

Angel came over and sat at Tifa's side. "We went and got Vincent out of the lab, he was still alive."

She smiled. "Oh God, where is he?"

"Well, that's the thing." Angel hung her head. "Chaos has him scared to be around anyone, for fear that he'll hurt someone. So, after we landed, he ran away."

Tifa closed her eyes and sighed. She could take some comfort in knowing that her husband was alive, but that he wasn't here, that she couldn't see him hurt her. Tifa hung her head and cried.

Aaron, sitting in his cell had put his game to the side for a moment and listened. He got up and came over toward the bars. "So, he's not coming?"

Jaras went over to his little brother and placed a hand upon his shoulder through the bars. "Not right now. His demon has him afraid that he'll hurt someone, but we'll figure out what to do."

"Do you know where he went?" Aaron asked, looking hopefully into Jaras' eyes.

He had to be honest. "No, I don't."

No one had any idea where Vincent would go to hide.

"I'll figure it out," came a voice from the entry to the cellblock.

Everyone turned upon hearing the familiar voice, spotting Reno leaning heavily upon the wall a way off.

"Reno!" Angel got up and ran over to his side, putting her arms around him. "What are you doing up?"

"I told you, I was bored in that infirmary. I was thinkin' I'd come down here and see Tifa and Mini Vinny, I didn't know you guys were back yet." Reno gave her a smile, leaning onto his wife for support.

"You shouldn't be walking around!" She held him tightly.

"Yeah, I realized that about half way here, but you know, I was already up and all." He wavered in her arms. The pain he was in didn't help the fact that he had little sense of balance.

Angel led him over to a chair and had him sit down. "You idiot, if you'd fallen, you could have killed yourself!"

"I didn't fall." Reno placed his hand against the side of his head as it pounded with each beat of his heart.

She could see the pain he was in. "Let me get you something to help you feel better."

"I'll feel better when I'm in my own fucking bed." Reno gave her a smile. "Where I belong with my wife."

"Janice will not let you out of this base yet!" Angel knelt before him, holding onto his hands.

"Well, unless she plans to chain me to the bed, I'm leaving, and I don't think she's that kinky." Reno grinned a little wider, showing his teeth.

"Damn it, Reno. You just can't listen!" Angel stood back up.

"Go get the car and pull it up to the entry, Babe. We're going home. There's nothing more for us to do here tonight. We'll think of what to do about Vinny in the morning." Reno looked over at Aaron. "Besides, that kid's been kicking my ass at the game all day. I don't wanna be here."

Aaron was paying no attention to this at all, he'd gone back to talking to his brother who was bent down to his level. "So, my dad's demon…he's that scared of it?"

Jaras nodded. "Yes."

The boy sighed. "I see."

"Porter and Quigley are doing everything they can to try and help the two of you, though. Just give it some time, little brother. All will work out as it's meant to." Jaras gave him a faint smile. The fact that Vincent had run away was hurting him, too.

Aaron had to put all of his hope into his brother's words. "Okay."

Janice came running in after noticing that Reno's bed was empty. When she spotted him sitting in the chair with Angel before him, she quickly came over. "What in the hell do you think you're doing?"

Reno looked up at her. "Getting ready to go home, that's what."  
"You can't go home yet! Are you insane?" Janice frowned and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Probably, what with half my brain stuck to the ground out by the hangers." Reno couldn't help himself and he smiled. "Get this fucking bandage off of me."

Janice was not in the mood to argue. Reno would get his way, but on her terms. "Let's go back to the infirmary and I'll get you ready to go. I see that you already took your I.V. line out."

Reno glanced down at the bruise on his left arm from where he'd torn the catheter out. "Yeah well, that was buggin' me."

Janice and Angel supported Reno as he rose unsteadily and they took him back to the infirmary.

Jaras looked over his shoulder and watched them retreat for a moment, before looking at his little brother. "I'm going to go see Jeanine for a little while, but then I'll come back down and spend the night with you, okay?"

This made Aaron feel infinitely better and his face brightened. "Okay."

Jaras got up and went over to Tifa. "Are you going to be all right?"

She brought her bloodshot eyes up to him. "I just wanted to see him so badly."

"I know." Jaras gave her a smile. "But you know Angel and her men will do everything they can, and it will probably go a lot more smoothly with her in charge, now."

Tifa laughed a little at the truth behind his words. "Probably."

"I just told Aaron that I'm going to go see Jeanine for a while, and then I'll come back down and spend the night here. Jeanine will probably come down too, although I don't want her to have to sleep in here, but it's her choice."

"Thanks, Jaras. I know Aaron really appreciates it." Tifa forced a smile for him.

"I'm glad to do it." Jaras turned and walked out.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter Twenty Three

Yes, I did put one in my story! After all this time, I've finally acknowledged their existence in the Final Fantasy world…

Reno was taken to the infirmary and made to sit in a chair. He pointed at the bandage again. "This, off, now."

Janice sighed, "Reno, you really ought to keep--"

He raised a hand, silencing her. "Off."

The doctor glanced over at Angel, but saw that she wasn't going to get any help from the other woman. She pulled her bandage scissors from her pocket and cut through the gauze. After a few minutes of work, it fell to the floor.

Reno was relieved to be freed of the constant pressure the dressing had placed on his head. He turned to Angel. "So, how bad is it?"

It took all of her strength to hide any negative reaction to seeing his injury uncovered again. Angel knelt at his side and picked up one of his hands. "It's okay."

Reno looked over at Janice. "I need to see, get me one of those things."

Janice realized that his brain was preventing him for asking clearly. "A mirror?"

He nodded, instantly regretting the action as it made the pain in his head double.

"All right, just a minute." Janice walked over to the cabinets and fished through a few of them before coming up with a small hand mirror. She brought it to Reno and gave it over.

Angel held her breath as Reno looked at himself for the first time since the shooting.

He held the mirror up and stared. A sweat broke upon his skin as he saw how he had been changed. The entire right upper quarter of his face was just gone, the gap where his eye had once been seemed blank, unfinished. He looked away for a moment, tears coming. "God…"

Angel put her hands upon his leg. "Reno?"

He drew in a jagged breath and tears fell down his left cheek. "I can't ask you to look at me like this… You're never gonna want to touch me again…"

That was the furthest thing from the truth. Angel moved closer and framed his face with her hands. "Reno, I don't care about what you look like, I'm just glad you're alive."

"You're just being nice." His lips pulled down into a painful pout.

Angel had to let him know that it really was okay. She closed her eyes and pressed her mouth against his.

Reno was a little surprised by this, but quickly took the lead, and invaded her mouth, not caring that Janice was watching.

Angel pulled away after a few moments and gave him a smile. "I told you, it's okay."

He reciprocated her expression and then held the mirror up again, examining himself once more. Reno took his right hand and pushed his bangs down, seeing that they were long enough to cover most of his injury. "I gotta start doing the goth thing and letting my hair hang in my face, I guess."

Angel smiled at his statement, and put her arms around him briefly. "Are you going to be all right?"

He considered his image for a moment longer. His hair would cover most of his wound, but it was still obvious he was missing an eye. "I need one of those things to hide this."

Janice again knew what he was asking for. Eye injuries were common enough and she had what he was looking for. "Just a minute."

Reno looked at his wife. "Really, you're okay with me like this?"

To hear the lack of confidence in his voice tore right through her. "Reno, it's fine. Besides, once you recuperate a little, Janice knows someone who can get you put back together a little more normally."

He shook his head, this time making sure to do it slowly enough as to not hurt himself. "I don't want surgery, Babe. No way. Besides, they ain't never gonna pull off making me normal, and I know it."

"Well, it's just something to think about." Angel brushed the last hint of his brief crying spell from his cheek.

Janice returned with a small black eye patch in her hand. "Here you go, unless you just want me to bandage you again."

Reno grabbed it from her quickly, having no intention of being wrapped up like he'd been. It had been miserable. "Babe, can you get this?"

Angel took it from him and slipped it on his head, positioning it carefully, making sure not to hurt him in the process.

Reno brought the mirror back up and looked again. He raked his fingers through his hair until it flopped forward properly, concealing most of what had been done, the eye patch covering the rest. He smiled faintly and then looked at his wife. "That's not so bad, right?"

Angel had to admit, he was looking a lot better now that his attitude was improving. "No, it's not too bad at all. I love you."

"As long as _you_ do." Reno unsteadily got up and handed the mirror back to Janice. "Now, I'm goin' home."

Angel let Reno hang on her and they started out. On the way, they stopped in the lab. She wanted to see if Quigley and Porter had gotten the files off of the computer.

Once in the lab, she helped Reno sit. Porter and Quigley quickly came over, impressed to see him out of the infirmary.

"I doubt that Janice let you go voluntarily," Porter joked, patting his former boss on the back.

Reno shrugged. "Yeah, well, it sucked being in there." He reached over and jabbed his wife in the side. "It really sucked at one point or at least you did, huh Babe?"

Angel's jaw dropped and she turned red. "Reno! Good lord!"

He snickered to himself, pleased at her reaction.

Porter and Quigley just looked at one another, not being in on the joke.

Angel shook off her husband's vulgarity and looked at her two researchers. "So, did you see anything interesting on that computer I brought in?"

Quigley pointed over to where it was sitting on the counter. "Not yet. It's fairly secure. Dr. Methius had six encryption keys that need to be entered before it will come up and give us access to the files. We'll hook it up to our random generator in a while, and see if we can crack the passwords and unlock it, but with six…it could take a while."

"How long is a while?" Angel asked, knowing that time was of the essence.

"Weeks, months, who knows? A lot of it's random chance. The number generator has a lot of possible codes to try." Porter shrugged. "That was Dr. Methius' personal computer and he has it locked up pretty tight. I'd be willing to bet there's a lot more on that thing than just this alleged cure for cancer."

This had Angel's attention. "Really? It's his personal one? You're sure?"

Quigley smiled. "Yeah, you can tell by the brand. Shinra doesn't issue that type to their employees. He must have bought it on his own. It's a pretty nice machine, really."

Angel knew that there was bound to be all kinds of good stuff on it if it was for Peirte's personal use. "That's…that's very cool."

Reno was getting annoyed. He really did want to get home. "Come on…"

"Oh," Quigley got up, "we found the RNA sequence to Aaron's demon, and the computer's working on a updated formulation of the anti-Chaos drug. We might have something to try on Aaron soon."

This made her smile. "That would be great. Thanks, guys. I need to get Reno home."

They said their good byes, and Angel got her husband out of the base and to their house. By the time Reno had managed to get to the top of the stairs, he was completely exhausted. Angel helped him to their bedroom and got him to the bed.

He settled back, enjoying the familiarity of his own room, pillow, and bed. It was good to be home. Normally, Reno's compulsion would have been to immediately pull Angel down upon him and try for a little playtime, but he was actually too tired for one of the few instances in his life.

Seeing that he was comfortable for the moment, Angel leaned over him and asked, "Are you okay if I go for a minute and pick up Dana?"

Reno was too spent to care about much. "Naw, I'm fine."

------------------------

"Dana, your mom's here," called a woman's voice from elsewhere in the house.

The little girl looked up from the board game she was playing with her slightly older friend, Jessie. "Oh, my mom's here!"

"Aw, we didn't get to finish!" Jessie said, motioning over their game.

"I'll come back tomorrow." Dana got up and ran out. "Bye!"

Angel dropped to one knee as her red headed daughter ran to her. "Hi, Dana."

"Mommy!" she said excitedly, throwing her arms around her mother's neck. "I missed you, Mommy!"

"I'm sorry, Baby. Mommy had a lot of things to do at work, and Daddy got hurt." Angel stood up and took her daughter's hand in her own, walking her down the street toward their home.

Dana's eyes went wide. "Is Daddy okay?"

"Yes, he's going to be all right," Angel sighed, opting not to tell her daughter that her father had nearly died and would never look the same. That would just have to be something she saw for herself.

Once at the house, Dana broke away from her mother's side and she ran up the stairs with amazing speed. The girl went to her parent's bedroom door and pushed it open, spotting her father lying on the bed. "Daddy?"

Reno's remaining eye opened as he realized that his daughter was home. He wanted to sit up and invite her over for a hug, but he hesitated. Inside, he grew nervous about frightening her with his appearance.

Dana didn't understand why he hadn't answered and she took a few steps forward. "Daddy? Are you okay?"

Slowly, Reno pushed himself up, grateful that his hair obediently flipped forward, obscuring his wound and eye patch. "Hey, Squirt."

Dana climbed up onto the bed and sat upon his lap. "I missed you, Daddy."

How she could be ignoring his injury was beyond him. Reno put his arms around her, feeling the sting of tears. The thought that he could have died and never seen her again got to him. "I missed you too, Dana."

After a short while, she backed out of his embrace and smiled at him. That's when she finally seemed to notice. Her bright blue eyes narrowed and one of her tiny hands reached up, gently pushing back Reno's hair, exposing his eye patch.

Reno froze, bracing for her reaction.

Dana cocked her head to the side. "Daddy?"

"Yeah?"

"You got hurt here?" she asked, keeping his hair pushed back.

"I did, yeah." Reno kept his gaze fixed on her face, looking for some sort of expression.

When she finally made one, it wasn't what he'd expected at all.

Dana smiled.

She actually _smiled_.

"Daddy, this is cool." Her eyes gleamed with some sort of hopeful spark. "Are you a pirate now?"

Reno couldn't help himself and he grinned back. "Do you like pirates?"

"Yeah!" she said excitedly. "They're cool!"

He put his arms around her and pulled his daughter close again. Over his daughter's shoulder, Reno spotted his wife leaning it the doorway, observing their reactions approvingly. "Then I'll be a pirate for you, Squirt. I love you, Dana."

"I love you, too, Daddy." Her world had gone more or less unaffected by the tragedy that had surrounded the adults. Dana's life, at least, remained intact.

Angel had to wipe the tears of relief from her cheeks before silently backing out of the room to leave Dana and her father alone. The little girl had just touched her and Reno beyond understanding.

------------------------

Vincent had run as far as he could before breaking into a walk. From here on out, avoiding other people was his only goal. Where he needed to go was somewhere that he could ultimately walk to from the ASRIO base, and that's what he intended to do.

As it got late, he became tired. He was far enough from civilization at the moment to feel all right about stopping. Vincent was presently in a grove of trees, and felt fairly sheltered here. Having lived outside for the seven years between Meteor and being reunited with Tifa, this was nothing new to him. He climbed up into the lower branches of a tree and bedded down for the night.

_I had grown rather accustomed to the indoor life, Vincent._

Not now, Chaos. I'm tired. Vincent closed his eyes, hoping for a small reprieve from the demon.

_Come on! We have a lot to discuss. It felt wonderful to kill Peirte and you know it._

Vincent sighed, pulling his cloak around his shoulders closer to ward off the cold. Maybe it had felt good to kill the scientist, but he wasn't going to celebrate. _Quiet!_

Now we're on our own again! Just like to old days! Chaos would not be silenced.

_I had no desire to go back to this life, considering that I have a woman that I love and children who I can never see now._

Chaos scoffed, _Who needs all of that? It's just one weakness after another. Being independent from that shit makes you stronger._

No, being apart from all of that is breaking my heart. Vincent didn't hear if Chaos continued on or not. His fatigue won out and he passed into sleep.

------------------------

The next day came along, and Cid found himself sitting in his doctor's office, waiting for his physician to come in and give him the results of the x-rays he'd had taken that morning. The night before, the pilot's coughing had gotten worse, and there had been blood again-- and a lot of it.

Finally, the door to the exam room entered and the doctor came in and sat. "Cid, things aren't looking good."

The pilot's shoulders drooped a little and he tensed his jaw. "Well there's a surprise."

"Look, how long have we known each other?" The doctor set down Cid's chart onto the counter.

Both Cid and the man before him had grown up in this town, and they'd known each other casually their entire lives. "Forever."

"Right, so you know I'm not going to sugar coat things for you." He crossed his arms over his chest. "It's only a matter of weeks at this point."

Cid blinked back at him for a moment, considering what he'd been told. "But the last time I was here, you said I had four months."

"I said you had _up_ to four months, Cid." He knit his brow. "It's progressing faster than I had hoped. You need to make some plans."

"Plans?" The pilot sat up straighter, trying to hide his inner terror over his impending demise.

"Cid, it's not going to be long before you need to be put either in the hospital or a hospice. You need to decide where you want to end up, and you need to have your final arrangements taken care of as well." He got up and came directly to Cid's side. "You've at least decided what to do with your boy, right?"

"Yeah," Cid sighed. "Jin's gonna quit her job and move here permanently and keep L.C."

"That's the reason for the rushed wedding?" the doctor asked, having gone to the reception dinner.

"That was part of it."

"Well, good, I'm glad that she's going to do that for him." The doctor smiled.

"Yeah well, luckily the life insurance that I've got is gonna pay her a shit load once I go, so she and L.C. will be set." Cid began to fidget with his hands.

"That's good." The doctor stepped away. "I'll have the receptionist give you some information on your options for care on the way out, all right?"

"Sure thing, Doc." Cid stood up and picked up his jacket. "I appreciate it."

------------------------

Tifa was taking a shower in the room she and Vincent had once shared. Jaras was down with Aaron, making her not feel bad about coming here to get cleaned up. Her tiny daughter had been turned over to Jeanine for the time being, as the other woman was suddenly very eager to handle the baby, wanting all the practice she could get before her own child was born.

After getting out of the shower, Tifa went over and sat on the edge of the bed, wrapped in a towel. Her body was recuperating from childbirth well enough, even though it had only been a matter of days. Still, she was a little sore and her movements reflected it.

As she sat there, she couldn't help but think about how this was where Aaron had been conceived, and she felt a smile come to her lips, but it was quickly pushed aside by her tears.

"Damn it, Vincent…where did you go?" she said to the room, burying her face in her hands. The thought that he'd landed with the team only to instantly vanish was horrible. For a moment, just a moment, he'd been close. Now, she wondered if she would ever see him again.

She was startled from her state when a knock came to the door. "Just a minute!"

Tifa hastily dressed and then answered, seeing that it was Porter. "Hey."

He gave her a wide smile. "Can I come in for a moment?"

"Sure." She stepped aside so he could enter.

He went and sat on the couch, sitting in his slightly awkward manner. "Remember that I told you that we'd isolated the RNA from the demon in your son yesterday?"

Tifa sat next to him. "Yes."

"Well, we had the computer working on reformulating the drug so it would work on Aaron, and we think we've got it. Quigley's mixing it up right now in the lab. I thought you'd want to know so I came looking for you." He smiled.

"Oh Porter! That's great!" Tifa clasped her hands together before her chest, her relief and excitement obvious.

What he had to tell her wasn't all that pleasant. "Yeah, but there's a catch."

Tifa's hands fell to her lap. "What's that?"

"Well, after what happened to Aaron last time and how Quigley got hurt, we're going to have to do things differently. We're going to have to sedate him somehow before we give him the injection, so he can't hurt anyone." Porter met her gaze.

"Oh, well, that makes sense." Tifa looked away, not happy with the thought of her son being handled like a wild animal.

"We're probably going to use a dart gun, okay?" Porter leaned a little closer to her, wanting her to know that he wasn't thrilled with the way it had to be.

Tifa got up from the couch and took a few steps away. "Porter…he's my kid, I…"

"I know it sounds terrible, Tifa, but it'll be quick and then we can get to Aaron safely and dose him. If Quigley and I could think of a better way, we would." He got up and went to her, placing his hands upon her shoulders.

Tifa nodded. Getting Aaron helped was the most important thing. "All right, but do me one favor."

He gave her a smile. "What's that?"

"When you do it, don't let him know it's coming. Hide the gun and then just dart him, okay? That way, he won't be scared."

"Sure thing." Porter let his hands fall away from her. "Once we've got the drug made up, Quigley and I will come down and we'll get it over with. It'll probably be a few hours. The sedative we're going to use in the dart is safe, I want you to know that. Janice gave it to us."

This made Tifa feel a little better, but she was still afraid for her son. "All right. I'll see you then."

------------------------

A terrible sound awoke Vincent. From the position of the sun, he realized that he'd slept far longer than he'd intended and it was now late in the morning. The sound came again and he looked down at the ground below, seeing a man being savagely mauled by some large cat like creature. From the injuries the man had already sustained, Vincent knew that he wouldn't survive, and not wanting to draw the attention of the monster since he was unarmed, he remained perfectly still.

Within a few moments, the man's pained cries stopped and the beast grabbed its prey by the neck and dragged him away. It clearly intended to consume its quarry elsewhere.

Vincent closed his eyes and sighed. He'd forgotten about the dangers of being in the wild. It would have been all too easy for that same animal to have scaled the tree and eaten him instead.

Then Vincent heard another sound, something he hadn't heard in fourteen years. It was a strange warbling noise and he looked down at the ground, spotting its source.

Pacing the ground below was a saddled and bridled chocobo. It was timidly calling out for its master, who had been carried off to be the lunch of some God forsaken creature.

Vincent smiled to himself. This was perfect. He stood and balanced on the tree branch for a moment, before dropping down to the forest floor.

The giant bird startled at the sudden appearance of the stranger and hopped back several yards, raising the crest on the top of its head in its anxiety.

Vincent moved with a deliberate slowness, aware that if the bird took off running he'd never catch it. Worse yet, this chocobo could prove to be aggressive and a single kick or well-placed peck from such a large bird could be fatal. "It's all right…"

The chocobo lowered its head slightly and turned it to the side, so it could inspect Vincent with one of its shining blue eyes. It produced a nervous rumbling sound as Vincent continued to near.

Finally, Vincent was immediately before the animal. He extended a hand and stroked at the lemon colored plumage that graced the bird's chest. "Don't be scared."

The bird, deciding that he wasn't a threat lowered his beak and nudged Vincent in the shoulder.

Vincent smiled and brought up his other hand, taking the reins. He hadn't ever gotten particularly good at riding, but he figured he could manage well enough even if it had been a long time since he'd last tried. He moved around to the side of the bird, placed his left boot into the stirrup and hoisted himself up onto the animal's back.

The bird took a few steps to the side in order to maintain its balance. Vincent had landed in the saddle a little harder than his previous experienced rider would have.

He managed to get his right boot into the other stirrup and took a deep breath. If all went well, he wouldn't fall off once the bird began running. Vincent adjusted the reins in his hands to his liking, before gently kicking the bird, signaling it onward.

It instantly broke into a full on run.

Vincent steadied himself in the saddle, taking several minutes to get used to the animal's movements and pace. His trip to his intended destination would now be far quicker, and he was grateful for this one small break in his bad luck.

------------------------

Reno was sitting on the couch in his home's family room, just enjoying the simple pleasure of being there. Dana was sitting on the floor before him, combing out the hair of one of her dolls. The fact that the little girl had weathered his new appearance with no trouble had made him feel far better than any painkiller he could have received. Angel had left a while before to go to the base, leaving him with his daughter.

He watched her play, and wondered at the difference between this child and the seven-month younger boy, Aaron. Dana was a kid that acted like a kid. She spoke like one and had the overall innocent view of the world that most children possessed, but Aaron was a completely different creature.

After sitting in the infirmary text messaging him extensively between rounds of their games, he'd come to understand that the boy held absolutely no illusions about the world around him and that he wasn't oblivious to the bad that happened. It made him feel terrible for the kid. Aaron's life had been hard with Tifa and Vincent as his parents. He knew that they both loved him, but Aaron had been caught in the turmoil between them for most of his life, and it had made a profound impact. Reno silently thanked God that he and Angel had such an easy relationship. Because of it, his daughter was actually able to enjoy being a kid. It was clear that Aaron had missed out on that.

He hoped beyond hope that Charlotte would have a better chance at a normal childhood, but at the moment, that wasn't looking promising.

"I have to fuckin' find Vinny and fix all of this," he whispered to himself as he stared at his daughter. "This sucks."

------------------------

Porter arrived in the cellblock with Quigley, Angel, and Dr. Arlin at his side. He'd put on one of his suit coats, hiding the dart gun beneath it. He scanned the scene, spotting Tifa with Charlotte, Jaras, and Jeanine sitting together, and Aaron over in his cell lying on his bed, playing his game.

When Tifa saw Porter, she handed her daughter over to Jeanine and went to him. "So, you're going to do it?"

The former Turk gave her a smile. "Yeah, we're ready."

Tifa felt tears in her eyes, but knew she had to keep her composure lest Aaron realize that something strange was going on. Since she'd already clued Jaras and Jeanine in on the situation, she didn't need to explain things to them.

Angel knew Tifa's anxiety as a mother herself, and she placed a hand upon Tifa's shoulder. "Look at me for the next few minutes so you don't have to watch, okay?"

She nodded, locking into Angel's ice blue eyes.

Aaron was absorbed in his game and didn't notice as Porter came up to the door of his cell, having a clear shot at the boy's back from his position. He glanced at Quigley and Janice before reaching beneath his coat and pulling out the dart gun.

Jaras watched this from where he was sitting. The urge he had to run over and knock the gun from Porter's hand was intense, but he knew this had to be done. Having been darted himself by Peirte, he knew his little brother was in for a rude surprise.

Porter swallowed hard and aimed. Shooting a kid, even if it was just with a sedative went against every fiber of his being and had there been anyone else present who he thought could have done it better, he gladly would have handed the task off.

He pulled the trigger, and the dart was sent from the gun, along with a pop from the carbon dioxide that propelled the projectile.

Aaron jumped at the sound and got to his feet, feeling a sharp pain in his left shoulder. He turned around and gave Porter a look that broke his heart.

Aaron saw Porter standing there with the gun held out before him. He didn't know enough to realize that it was a dart gun and his heart raced as he thought that he'd actually been shot. "Why'd you shoot me? Mom!"

Tifa broke away from Angel and hurried over to the bars. "Aaron, it's all right!"

There were tears in his eyes as the pain in his back got worse. "Mom! He shot me! Why'd he shoot me?"

"It's all right, Sweetie!" Tifa's own eyes brimmed with tears. "It wasn't a bullet, you're going to be all right. It was just a dart with medicine in it to make you go to sleep for a while."

Aaron's fear didn't abate and in fact, it got worse. Havoc, his demon, welled up and took over, changing the boy instantly.

The small demon spun and ran toward where Porter was standing, reaching through the bars in an attempt to grab him, but the former Turk had possessed the foresight to stay far enough back so that Aaron couldn't get him.

Seeing that Porter was out of his reach, he spun, realizing that Tifa was the closest target.

Jaras, seeing that Tifa was in danger, jumped up from his chair and pulled her back, just as the demon's clawed hand swiped out at her. He'd spared her from serious injury.

Tifa covered her face with her hands, not able to stand watching the smaller version of Vincent's demon pace before the bars like a frustrated animal. She hoped that the sedative he'd been given would kick in quickly.

The little demon began to feel the effects of the drug after a few minutes, and his ability to hold on to Aaron's body faded out. He sank to his knees and let out one last pained howl, before submitting and letting Aaron return.

The boy looked over and saw that Jaras was staring back at him. He crawled to the bars and reached out for his brother, needing his comfort.

Knowing that the threat had passed, Jaras hurried over and took Aaron's hand into his own. "Little brother…"

"I'm scared…" Tears still ran from his eyes.

"I know, it's all right. It will pass soon enough," he said, reassuringly.

Aaron slumped forward and hit the bars. "Jaras…"

Angel went ahead and unlocked the cell door, seeing that her brother was quickly losing consciousness.

Jaras got up and went around, pushing past Angel and going to Aaron's side. He scooped his brother up off the floor of the cell and cradled him in his arms. Jaras sat on the bed in the cell, not willing to let go of his sibling.

Tifa went in and sat beside Jaras. She reached out and stroked her sleeping son's hair. Her eyes met Janice's when the doctor got close. "He's all right, isn't he?"

Janice gripped the boy's wrist for a moment, checking his pulse. It was going strong and regular. "He's fine, Tifa."

Quigley came over, the syringe of the drug in his hand. Since he only had one functioning arm at the moment, he wouldn't be able to administer the drug himself and he gave it over to Janice.

Dr. Arlin pulled a tourniquet from her pocket and snapped it around the boy's arm and found the vein. She put the needle into his arm, loosened the tourniquet, and administered the injection.

Whereas last time Aaron's body hadn't reacted at all from the drug, this time it did. He spasmed wildly, and it was all Jaras could do to keep him in his arms. Aaron's small seizure lasted for about three minutes, before his body relaxed and went limp in his brother's arms.

Tifa continued to gaze at her son's face, seeing that he was peacefully asleep now. She finally brought her eyes over to Porter and Quigley. "And like Vincent, I'm assuming he's going to have to get a series of these shots over the next several days?"

"Yeah." Quigley gave her a smile. "But he doesn't have to be locked up anymore."

That was good enough for her. She turned her attention to Jaras. "Would you do me the favor of carrying him to my room?"

He gave her a faint smile and stood up. Taking his brother out of the detention block felt wonderful. Jaras knew that Aaron would be a lot happier when he woke up somewhere other than behind bars.

------------------------

Cid hadn't gone directly home after his doctor's visit. Instead, he'd stopped at the mini mart along the way. He went over to the refrigerator within and pulled out a case of beer, knowing that he didn't have any back at the house. The pilot carried it up to the register and he set it upon the counter. The red and white packages in the display case behind the cashier caught his attention. "Give me a pack of regulars."

The clerk obediently reached back and grabbed the requested cigarettes, setting them on top of the case of beer.

Cid paid and slipped the pack into his jacket pocket before taking up the beer and going back toward home.

Once there, he sat down at the kitchen table and scanned over the brochures given to him by the receptionist at the doctor's office. The hospice seemed like a fine place to waste away and die, had he been at all interested in that.

But Cid wouldn't let it end like that. Not by a long shot. There was not going to be any drawn out, miserable death for him. He had other plans.

------------------------

Several hours after getting his injection, Aaron woke up, finding that he was lying on the bed in the room he'd initially seen upon getting to the base. He sat up, and his head hurt when he did so as the sedative was still within his blood.

Seeing her son awake made Tifa sigh in relief and she got up from the couch where she'd been nursing the baby and sat beside him. "Are you okay?"

"Why am I in here? I should be locked up…" Aaron placed his hands on the sides of his head, trying to bring the pain under control.

"They gave you the drug to help you with your demon, Sweetie." Tifa placed a hand upon his knee, holding Charlotte with just one arm. "The worst is over now."

"It worked?" His eyes went wide.

"Looks like it. There was a mark on your back that you got when you started turning into that thing, and it's gone now." Tifa gave him a smile.

"Good." Aaron let his hands fall back to his lap. "So I won't hurt anyone anymore?"

Tifa shook her head. "No, that's over."

Aaron's relief ran deep and he lay back down.

"They'll give you a few more doses over the next few days, and then you'll be okay. It won't be as bad." She pulled the blanket back over him.

"Okay." Aaron closed his eyes, and allowed sleep to overtake him once more.

------------------------

Porter and Quigley returned to the lab. The blond went over to the number generator as it continued to run, trying to crack the six codes to get into Peirte's computer. Much to his surprise, something had already happened. Excitedly, he turned around and called over to his partner. "Port! Come here!"

The former Turk got to his side and looked at the screen. "I'll be damned, it already cracked the first encryption?"

Quigley nodded. "Yeah, can you believe it?"

"Wow, no, that's great." Porter smiled. "Quig, this is going to be wonderful. I can't wait to see what's actually on this thing."

"Me neither." Quigley looked over into his green eyes. "Port?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you okay?" Quigley asked. He'd seen the way his friend had not been able to dart Aaron without considerable difficulty.

He sighed and pulled the dart gun out from beneath his coat, laying it next to the computer. "I'll be. I just felt bad having to do that to a kid. I know the ends justified the means, but, you know."

Quigley sat down in a nearby chair. "Port, do you think that you and Rayna will ever have any kids?"

The former Turk's shoulders slumped and he sat next to his friend. This was not something he had ever discussed with anyone other than Rayna and Janice. "I'd like to, but I can't."

"Really?" Quigley leaned forward, closer to his friend.

"Yeah." He ran a hand thought his hair. "She and I actually tried for a while about four years ago, but nothing ever happened. When everything checked out okay with the way her body worked, I had to pony up and give Janice a sample. She checked it out and said that I had no motility."

Quigley nodded, understanding well enough. "Blanks, huh?"

"Yeah, basically." Porter folded his hands in his lap.

"You never said anything. I had no idea." He glanced over at his partner.

"Well, it's not the sort of thing a guy's proud of." Porter flushed in his embarrassment.

Quigley sat back and thought for a moment. "But it's just a motility problem, right?"

"That's what Janice said."

"Porter, we can just inject a sperm cell directly into an egg. We can cut out the middle man, if you will." He met Porter's gaze. "It's been done before, and as long as there's nothing else wrong with your troops, it could work."

Porter considered this for a moment. "Really?"

"Yeah!" Quigley was excited, even if Porter refused to get worked up yet. "We'll have to collect some of Rayna's eggs and fertilize them like I just said, and then put any resulting embryos back into her. It's pretty simple, compared to other stuff we've done, Port."

He nodded slowly. "I'll talk to Rayna about it, although I know she'll jump at the chance."

Quigley smiled. Helping Porter and Rayna in their pursuit of happiness was a task he was willing to take.

"But, we've got that computer to crack first and if we do, then we have to get that cancer formula down pact, so we can help Mr. Highwind before it's too late." Porter motioned over toward the computer. "Once that's done, we have to work on fixing Aaron permanently."

"I think I can manage a little overtime to get you and Rayna taken care of, too. I can multitask, you know that." Quigley got up from his seat.

"Quig, you're a good guy." Porter got up as well. The fact that Quigley was always willing to go out of his way to help other people was one of his most under appreciated traits.

"No problem. It's my job to make sure at least some of us geeks pass on our genes. The world needs geeks, you know," Quigley laughed, half to himself. "Especially geeks that have the added benefit of being half decent looking like you."

"I suppose it does." Porter chucked in amusement.

------------------------

Another day came and went, and Quigley, Porter, Janice, Angel, and Jaras arrived at Tifa's room as it was time to give Aaron his second dose.

The boy was nervous and sat in his mother's arms, with Jaras right at his side. Again, Janice administered the medication as Quigley's injured arm was still bound up.

Aaron felt dizzy and a little nauseous after this injection, but there was no seizure or any attempt by his demon to come out.

Since the boy hadn't been demonstrating the demon for very long before getting the first dose, Quigley and Porter suspected that four doses would be enough, meaning that they were now half way there.

No one had yet mentioned anything to Tifa about there being a possible cure for Cid's condition on the computer in the lab. Two of the encryption codes had now come up, leaving four to go. They withheld this information as no one wanted her to get her hopes up about it, in case the formula wasn't revealed until after it was too late, or it proved to be a flop.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter Twenty Four

Cid had spent a few hours working on his plane, and he was finally done with what he needed to do. He walked back into the house and placed a box containing some components under the kitchen table before going into the living room and finding Jin reading to L.C. The pilot leaned in the doorway staring at them together, knowing in his heart that he'd done the right thing by getting Jin back into his son's life.

She noticed his return and put the book down. "So, what were you so busy out there doing?"

He shrugged. "Nothing much. Hey, I'm gonna go get cleaned up and then we can go to that place that you really like for dinner, okay?"

Jin cocked an eyebrow. Generally, it was like pulling teeth to get Cid to take her to the expensive Wutain restaurant, as he hated both the food there and the price. "Really?"

Cid gave her an honest smile. "Yeah. Get ready."

An hour later, the three of them were sitting at a table, having their dinner. Cid had ordered the most inoffensive thing on the menu, and sat watching his wife and son have at the items they'd ordered for themselves. Much to the pilot's dismay, Jin had convinced L.C. that Wutain cuisine was palatable, and the boy had taken to ordering whatever the woman did.

Tonight, though, Cid didn't give them a hard time about it like he usually did. In fact, he just sat there in complete silence watching them, a faint smile upon his lips.

Jin, accustomed to his typical bashing of her dietary choices finally looked up over at him, seeing the expression that he wore. "Cid?"

"Yeah?"

"Is there something on your mind?" she asked, reaching across the table and grabbing one of his hands.

"Naw," he lied and as usual, did a bad job of it.

She frowned briefly. "Come on, what is it?"

"Nothing." Cid reached over and picked up one of the pieces of fish from her plate.

Jin watched in amazement as he popped the stolen morsel into his mouth and chewed it up. He'd always claimed he could be chased around the block with what she ordered for dinner here, but now he'd willingly just tried it for the first time. "Did you honestly just do that or am I hallucinating?"

He shrugged, swallowing what he'd eaten. "You know, that ain't half as bad as I'd figured it'd be."

Now, Jin was terrified. "Cid?"

"What?"

"L.C., stay here, you're dad and I will be right back." Jin locked gazes with the pilot. "Come with me, now."

Cid followed as she led him away from the table and outside of the restaurant doors. "What's up?"

"You tell me!" Jin stood close enough to him that her body was touching his. "You've been acting really weird since going to the doctor the other day. Tell me what he said, Cid."

The pilot knit his brow for a moment and stood up a little taller. "Well, uh, it's bad. He told me that I've only got a few weeks now."

Jin closed her eyes and drew in a jagged breath. "Damn it…"

He put his arms around her. "It's all right, Jin. I'm okay with it."

"I don't want to lose you…" Tears came to her eyes and she buried her face in his chest.

"I know, but hey, there's nothing that can be done about it." Cid brought her out to arm's length. "Don't worry about it, please. I don't intend to lay around and suffer for a long time or anything. It won't be that bad."

Jin figured that he just had no grasp of what he was truly in for. After watching her family members pass from cancer, she knew that lying around and suffering went without saying. "I wasted these last few months and now this is happening…"

Cid shook her slightly. "Jin, why beat yourself up over it? I fucked up too, if you'll recall. I'm just happy beyond words that you're here now, and that you're going to take care of my boy. That's all I could have ever hoped for."

She wiped her eyes with her hands. "It's just that I love you so much."

He brought her close again. "And I love you, too. Let's not worry about it for tonight, though, and let's make this the best evening we've ever had, okay?"

Jin nodded. She would give him whatever he wanted. "All right."

After finishing dinner, they'd returned to the house. It was late and Cid put his son to bed, dragging the ritual out a little longer than usual. Finally, L.C. went to sleep, and the pilot returned to the family room, finding Jin on the couch.

Cid sat beside her, seeing that she was crying again. He put an arm around her shoulders. "Jin, don't, okay?"

"I can't help it. I can't just stuff my feelings, Cid." Jin wouldn't meet his gaze, ashamed at herself for crying.

"Tell me honestly, what is it that you fear most?" he asked, resting his head against hers.

"You suffering." Jin frowned. "The thought of you being in pain… I hate it. I don't want to be alone, but having you die like this… I think that's the worst part."

Cid smiled. She had nothing to worry about as far as he was concerned. "Jin, don't stress about that, okay? I just want us to be happy tonight. No crying, no worrying. Let's just live in the moment."

Not being able to figure him and his strange mood out, Jin submitted to his request. "Then what is it you want to do?"

He ran a hand through her hair. "You know, there is one thing that I've never done."

She cocked an eyebrow at him again. "And that is?"

Cid rose up and took her hand. "Come on."

Jin followed him out of the house and across the small field behind it until they were at the plane. Cid opened the door on the side of it and motioned for her to get in.

Cid followed her in and closed the door.

She stood between the seats in the passenger compartment. "What are we doing in here? Surely we're not taking off when L.C.'s back in the house asleep."

Cid took her into his arms. "Naw, we don't need to leave the ground for this."

The female mechanic caught the innuendo in his voice. "Really? In here, in your precious plane?"

"Yeah, in my precious fuckin' plane." He made a low growl and pressed his lips to Jin's. Cid thrust his tongue into her mouth, running it along hers.

Jin groaned softly in response, pushing her body closer to his. She placed her hands behind his neck, keeping him pulled to her forcefully.

His hands found their way to the zipper that ran down the back of her dress, and he slowly pulled it down. Once that was done, he pushed it off of her, letting it fall to the floor. Cid took a step back and examined her, seeing that she'd put on a corset, garter belt, and stockings beneath her dress. He couldn't help but smile as he studied her. Jin looked like one of the pin-up girls the pilot had painted onto one of his planes. "You know that stuff drives me crazy."

"Well, I figured you deserved it for humoring me and taking me to that place tonight," she replied, reaching out and pushing his jacket from his body. "Now, what is it exactly that you've got in mind, Mr. Highwind?"

"Everything." He undid his belt and pulled it away, letting it join his jacket on the floor. "And I want you to do what you do best."

Jin gave him an evil sneer. "Oh do you? Then you're going to have to say it."

As he undid the waist to his pants, he mirrored her expression. "I want you to hurt me."

Jin had come to appreciate Cid's slightly masochistic desires over the years, and indulging them was something she'd grown good at. She reached out and grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him forward hard by it, tearing the fabric as she did so. Jin forced him down into another kiss while she undid the few buttons that had remained intact on his shirt, before pulling it from him. Her hands then made quick work of pushing off his already loosened pants, taking down his boxers at the same time.

Cid stood there before her unclothed, waiting for her to make the next move. The whole scenario of this taking place here on his plane had been a fantasy of Cid's that he had carried for years, but he'd never dared. It seemed like the last line for him to cross sexually, but now he was at the end of his life so he figured he might as well do it.

Jin examined him in return, seeing that he was ready, _very_ ready. Her lace up boots were still on and she raised up her right leg, placing the point of her boot before his stomach, then pushing him back as hard as she could with it.

Cid fell back into one of the plush passenger seats, his skin stinging from her kick. He gave her a smirk. "Come on, you can do better than that."

Jin walked over to him and stood before his seat. She leaned forward and placed her knee between his legs, pushing it up against him hard enough for it to hurt.

Cid drew in a sharp breath at this contact. He reached up and undid the first couple of hooks on the front of her corset, but before he got very far, she smacked his hand away. "I didn't say you could do that, did I?"

He smirked. "No, you didn't."

She pushed even harder with her knee.

"Oh fuck," he grunted in response, as the pain kicked up to another level.

Jin relented and got to her knees before him. She let her hands trail up his thighs. "What do you want, Cid?"

He put his hands along the sides of her face and guided her downward. Cid leaned back, knowing that she would humor him.

Jin licked him for a few seconds, making his arousal worse, before taking him into her mouth. She dug her nails into his legs as she worked, making him writhe in response.

Cid watched her actions, guiding her pace with his hands that were now entangled in her hair. The pilot growled when she'd occasionally let her teeth graze him. She was doing that on purpose, and he couldn't have been happier.

Not wanting to push him over the edge before she got what she wanted, Jin eventually sat back, enjoying the impassioned expression that Cid now wore. "How was that?"

"Fucking wonderful." Cid gave her his smirk. "What do you want?"

There was one thing that he'd never done, and Jin figured she'd try her luck. "What you won't do. You did say we were going to do _everything_."

The pilot tensed his jaw. "Jin, I've never-"

She cut him off by standing up and unclipping her garters, then pulling off her panties. "Well, you're going to. I've done that for you plenty of times, it's your turn."

He watched as she sat in the seat across from his, letting her knees fall away from one another once she was situated. Cid stared at her for a moment, before forcing himself to move. The pilot was aware that he wouldn't get anything else that he wanted unless he obeyed her demand. After all she'd put up with from him over the years, he owed her at least this much.

Jin smiled as Cid came over and knelt before her. She reached down and pulled back against her inner thighs, exposing herself to him completely. "Go on, do it."

Cid met her gaze for a moment, looking for a reprieve from her but not getting one. He lowered himself and closed his eyes, doing what he figured he was supposed to.

She gasped when she felt his tongue upon her, pleased that he'd finally complied. Still, this was his first time with this particular act, and Jin knew he needed a little guidance. "Go a little lower…"

He obeyed, and felt her tense her body in response. Cid quickly came to realize that doing this to her was making his own level of arousal greater, and much to his surprise-- he found out that he liked doing it. Cid slipped two of his fingers into her while he continued to explore her with his tongue.

"Cid…" Jin didn't stop him as his continued stimulation of her bought her to climax. Her entire body responded by shuddering and she groaned in her ecstasy.

The pilot sat back, impressed with how quickly he'd just brought her to this. "It's that good, huh?"

She sat up straight in the seat and scooted all the way to the edge of it. Jin put her hands on his shoulders. "Fuck me."

Cid readily complied and drove into Jin, finding his mark within her-- making her immediately begin crying out again. He made his own sounds in response and couldn't help himself from commenting. "Greedy tonight, huh?"

Jin just grunted back in response, before pushing him away. She quickly got up from where she was sitting and turned around, getting on her knees, her upper body resting on the seat.

Cid got behind her and back to the task at hand, placing his left arm down and around her waist, to hold her to him. He held onto her shoulder with his right hand, and he bent forward, so his mouth was close to the back of her neck. "Jin…I love you."

She nearly couldn't respond as he was reaching that certain place within her again, driving her over the edge for a second time. Jin finally answered him as she came once more. "I love you, too…"

Knowing that she was pleased yet again, Cid figured he'd ask for another favor. "Jin, one more thing and we'll have done everything."

This was something that she was reluctant to give, but she had before and she would now. "Okay…"

"Thanks…" Cid withdrew momentarily, only to drive back into her in a different place. The increased tension here would make him finish quickly.

Jin made a pained cry at this, and Cid put his right hand close to her mouth, allowing her to bite him in response to whatever discomfort he was causing her.

All of this was just too much and Cid was quickly brought to the end. He collapsed gasping against her back. "Damn…Jin, that was great."

She giggled a little to herself, and moved to get out from beneath him. "Yeah, it was."

Cid moved to get up into the seat Jin had been leaning on and he reached out for his wife, pulling her over. She sat on his lap and rested back against his chest, just happy that he was still here for the time being.

------------------------------

In the morning, Cid took Jin and L.C. out to breakfast at their favorite place. He ate more than he probably should have, but he loved the pancakes here. Once that was done, they went back to the house.

Cid sat with L.C. and Jin while they watched a movie on television. When it was over, he figured he had to do what he felt he needed to. He got up from the couch and knelt down at his son's side. "L.C.?"

"Yeah?" he turned to face his father.

"You know I love you, right?" Cid said, placing his hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Sure, I love you, too." L.C. gave him a smile, knowing that it was a little weird for his dad to just come over and say this.

"I'm gonna go out for a while. I did some things to the plane that I need to test out, and you're gonna stay here with Jin." He smiled at his boy.

"I can't go?" His son suddenly looked crushed.

"Naw, not this time, kid. You know I take the plane up alone after working on it," he sighed, not wanting his boy to see the truth.

L.C. took it in stride. "Okay, but when you're done, I get the next flight."

He tousled his son's hair before giving him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "You bet. Do what Jin tells you."

"Cool." L.C. faced the television again.

Cid stood up and looked at Jin. "I'm going on a test flight to check out the things I did yesterday."

She got up and put her arms around him. "Be careful."

The pilot gave her a grin. "Sure thing. I love you."

"I love you, too." She closed her eyes as their lips briefly met. "Don't go too far until you know that everything's all right."

"Yeah." Cid backed away from her, taking a mental picture of the scene. "Bye."

"Bye." Jin watched as he retreated through the kitchen.

He stopped by the refrigerator and pulled out a few beers and grabbed his jacket before walking out the back door and toward the plane. The pilot got to his aircraft and admired it for a moment, running his hands over the edges of the propellers one at a time, until they had all been checked, as was his preflight ritual. That done, he got in and set the beers he'd brought in the co-pilot's seat before strapping himself in.

Before he started the engines, he pulled out his cell phone and called a number that he'd memorized.

Angel answered, "Hello?"

"Hey, Tifa's there somewhere, right?" he asked, already knowing she was.

"Yes, just a moment." Angel walked from the control room and to Tifa's quarters, finding the other woman inside. She held the phone out to her.

Tifa put it to her ear. "Hello?"

"It's me."

She smiled, but kept her voice low, not wanting Aaron to hear. "Cid? What's up?"

"I just wanted to check in on you, see how you're doing." He settled back into his seat, the way it felt around him all too familiar.

"Oh, well, I'm all right. They got Vincent out of the lab, but he ran away." She had to push back the tears, knowing that Cid hated it when she cried. "But they've helped Aaron so he won't turn into that thing again."

"Good, and how's Charlotte?" he asked, frowning as his heartbreak over the baby cut through him.

"She's doing great! Never cries, and Aaron really likes her. He's been holding her a lot. Oh, guess what?" The excitement in her voice became clear.

"What's that?" Cid smiled a little.

"Jaras is going to be a father. Can you believe it?" Tifa grinned at the thought.

"No shit? Great, more freaks in the freak show, then," he laughed.

"You're terrible, Cid."

He didn't mock her this time, and his smile faltered. "Yeah."

"Cid?" Instantly she knew that something was wrong. "What's going on?"

"Nothing." He forced himself to smile. "I'm going to be all right. Don't worry about it. Like I said, I was just checking in. Tifa?"

"Yes?"

"I love you, you know that, right?"

Tifa smiled to herself, despite the strange sadness that came into her heart. "Yes, and I love you, too."

"Okay, well, I've got to go. Bye."

"Bye." She kept the phone to her ear until she heard him hang up a few seconds later. Tifa passed the phone back to Angel.

Angel saw the unusual expression on Tifa's face. "Is something wrong?"

She shrugged. "I don't know, he just sounded sort of…weird."

"Well, I'm sure he's all right." Angel gave her friend a smile.

Tifa stood up and sighed. "I guess so."

------------------------------

Cid got the plane into the air and circled over the town, looking down upon the familiar scenery for a while before pointing the plane south. It would take about an hour to reach the mountains.

------------------------------

Jin went into the kitchen to go see what there was to make for lunch. After rummaging around for a while, her eye was caught by the box sitting beneath the kitchen table. Out of her curiosity, she went over and pulled it out, setting it upon the table's surface. She looked inside.

It was the transponder from Cid's plane. This was the one piece of equipment that no aircraft ever was supposed to fly without. The purpose of the device was to allow the plane to be tracked from the ground and by other aircraft. Without it, the plane was practically invisible and if it crashed, there would be no way to locate it.

If it crashed.

If.

Jin felt her hands begin to shake and she ran over to the small radio unit that Cid had set up in the corner. She pressed the transmit button. "Cid? Come in! Cid?"

He heard her voice through the static and sighed before replying. "Cid here."

"Come back!"

The pilot tensed his jaw. "No."

"Cid, what do you think you're doing?" Jin asked, her heart pounding in her chest.

"Saving everyone the trouble of watching me die some slow, horrible death, Jin." There were tears evident in his voice.

She came unglued. "Come back right now! You can't do this! Please, Cid! Turn around and land!"

"Sorry, Jin, but I can't do that." He had to wipe his eyes. "It's better this way."

"How is killing yourself going to make things better?" Jin's knees went weak and she had to brace herself against the desk that the radio rested upon.

"Get it through your fucking head, woman." Cid's tone turned angry as he forced himself to get mad. "I don't want anyone to see me die like that! I want to be remembered like I am, before I get any worse. I just want to fly for a while, okay?"

"Cid!" Jin waited for a response but didn't get one. "Cid!"

He closed his eyes, listening to her cry for a few moments, but mercifully, the plane flew out of range of the small radio and it grew silent.

He flew on for about an hour before the meager fuel supply that he'd put in the plane ran out. The engines stalled and came back on a few times, before giving up completely. The normal rumble of the plane went silent, and all Cid could hear was the wind blowing over the fuselage. There was something both peaceful and terrifying in that moment. The plane could still successfully land at this point, being light enough to glide to the ground, but Cid had no intention of the plane meeting the Earth in a way that wouldn't be fatal. There were mountains not far now, and he banked the silent plane toward them.

He couldn't believe that this was it. Cid reached over to the copilot's seat and grabbed one of the beer bottles that he'd brought with him. He flipped off the top and took a huge swig. It may have been a little warm, but it was good. Then he reached into his coat pocket, coming up with his old lighter and the pack of cigarettes. Even though it had been seven years since he'd lit up and smoked, his hands made quick work of getting the pack opened and a cigarette to his lips. He lit up and took a long drag, letting the familiar sensation wash over him. Without a doubt, it was the best fucking smoke he'd ever had.

With the cigarette in his mouth, and the beer in his hand, he reached down and undid the seat belt, figuring that it wasn't needed for what he intended to do. The plane bucked slightly as it hit an updraft rising from the mountains below. He took his hands off of the control stick and let it slowly pull itself forward. The plane began to descend.

The tears were marking his face in broad tracks now, as he watched the altimeter needle begin to count down. It was literally like watching the last few moments of his life run out.

He realized that without any fuel, when the plane hit the rock riddled mountains below that it wouldn't erupt into flames, but rather it would just be torn to shreds-- and him along with it. This was fine, he didn't want to be burned anyway. The plane would crumple, being strewn over the snowy landscape. The clouds in the sky hinted at more snow. If he were lucky, new flakes would soon fall, covering up the evidence of his demise.

He thought of what the destroyed plane would look like as it was covered in ice. The plane…

------------------------------

Angel had remained in Tifa's room after her conversation with Cid an hour before. The phone in her pocket rang again, and she pulled it out once more. "Hello?"

"I…I need to talk to Tifa," came a hysterical woman's voice from the other end of the line.

"Just a minute." Angel handed it over to her. "You're popular."

Tifa took the phone. "Hello?"

"Tifa, it's Jin."

She had no idea why this woman would be calling her in a million years. "Oh, uh, hey."

"Have you talked to Cid?" she asked, trying to hold back her tears for a moment.

Tifa wasn't sure if she should confess or not, wondering if they had been fighting over him still calling her. "Actually, he did about an hour ago, just to check up on me."

"But he hasn't stopped by or anything?" Jin had possessed some vague hope that the pilot would have stopped at the ASRIO base before committing to his death in order to see Tifa one last time.

"No, why? What's going on, Jin? You sound really upset." Tifa leaned forward, fearing the answer.

"He took off…he's gone off to kill himself, Tifa." Jin broke down and sobbed again.

"Oh shit." Tifa stood up.

"Cid…he pulled the transponder out of his plane so we can't even track him…" Jin collapsed back into one of the kitchen chairs. "I begged him to come back, but he flew out of radio range, and he won't answer his phone."

"Okay, uh, damn… Jin, I don't know what to do!" Tifa felt a lump come up in her throat and tears ran down her cheeks.

The door to the room opened. It was Porter and Quigley, and they'd dispensed with knocking in their excitement.

Tifa looked over at the two men, wondering what was going on. "Jin, hold on for a sec."

Quigley came right over to Tifa. "You're not going to believe this!"

At the moment, Tifa felt that anything was possible. "What?"

"In the lab, Vincent had Jaras take a computer. It was brought back here, and we managed to crack all six encryption codes on the thing in just these few days! It's amazing!" Quigley was down right giddy.

"I'm sorry, Quig, but I really don't care right now. Jin's on the phone with me telling me that Cid's…that he's gone off to kill himself." Tifa closed her eyes and looked away.

Quigley looked at Porter. "Oh shit…"

"Tifa…" Porter came closer. "Is he still alive?"

"We don't know," she shot back.

"Well, if he is we need to get a hold of him. What Quig was trying to tell you is that on that computer that Vincent had us take, is the cure for cancer!" Porter put his hands upon her shoulders, needing her to believe him.

Tifa blinked up at him for a few seconds. "A…a cure? For _cancer_?"

Porter nodded in response.

She put the phone back to her ear. "Jin, did you hear any of that?"

"Yeah, are they serious?"

"Yes."

"Shit! He won't answer his phone and he's out of radio range! What in the fuck can we do?" Jin's anguish went to a new level.

Tifa hung her head and sighed. She was absolutely heartbroken. "I don't know."


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter Twenty Five

_The plane…_

"Holy shit, the plane! This is the kid's fucking inheritance!" Cid gasped, letting the cigarette fall from his lips. He reached out and grabbed the control stick, pulling the plane back to level. Without the engines powering it, the craft seemed to protest this order to stay aloft, seemingly having resigned to it's fate. Cid struggled to get the plane to bank around, needing to get it over someplace where he could land. The altimeter may have slowed in its indication of decent, but he was still losing height.

He then noticed that the cigarette had fallen between his legs on the seat and it was burning the hell out of him. Cid reached down and grabbed it, putting it back in his mouth. There was, after all, no good reason to waste a perfectly good smoke.

Cid wasn't calling off his suicide because of cowardice. He was calling it off for his love of his son and the aircraft. Once he died, it would be a long time before the boy was able to afford a plane of his own. The kid loved to fly, and this plane was the one thing that the boy could have to keep a connection with his father. Cid had almost done something unbearably stupid.

The landscape beneath him was treacherous, but he spotted a small valley where there was an iced over lake with a good stretch of snow covered sand. Cid, with his years of experience, prepared to set down the unpowered craft on the ground below. There was no doubt in his mind that he could save the plane. He had to, for L.C.

"Come on, baby, this is the last thing I'm gonna ask you to do," he said between clenched teeth, hoping that he'd maintain altitude just a little while longer.

Turbulence rocked the aircraft as he got even lower, skimming the treetops on his approach to the beach. Cid cleared the tree line and he dropped her down onto the slushy sand, depressing the brakes to get his beloved plane to safely stop.

And it did.

Cid sank back into the seat and closed his eyes for a few minutes. He'd have to find a way to let L.C. and Jin know where the plane was so they could retrieve it, before finding another way to end his life. His compulsion for suicide hadn't abated, and the pilot still intended to go through with it.

A sudden banging on the side of the plane got his attention, and Cid got up, wondering what it could be. He opened the side door of the plane and looked out, but saw nothing. Cid stepped down into the snow, tossing the remains of his cigarette out before him. The banging came again, from the other side of the plane, and he scowled and walked around to see who, or what, was disrespecting his property.

He came around the tail of the aircraft. "What in the fuck do you-- oh shit!"

Looming a good two feet over him was a chocobo. It growled in its fear over the loud-mouthed stranger.

Cid had always possessed a deep fear of the things, even if he had been forced to ride one fourteen years ago. He'd been kicked once by one of the birds when he'd only been eight years old, and that incident had left an impression, both mentally and physically. The pilot raised his hands defensively and began to back away. "Stay back, God damn it!"

The bird turned its head to the side, bringing an angered blue eye to gaze upon the intruder. It growled once more and took a step forward.

Now, Cid was down right mortified. He may have wanted to die, but being pecked apart and killed by what amounted to a giant chicken was not the way he wanted to meet his fate. He spun in an attempt to flee, but smacked right into the tail of the plane, sending him crashing down into the snowy sand on the ground.

The chocobo approached the fallen man and reached down, taking the edge of Cid's jacket into its beak and pulling.

The bird may have just been playing with him, but Cid was fairly certain he was about to be eviscerated. He struggled to get away, but found that the bird was actually picking him up by the back of his jacket. "Put me the fuck down!"

"Dirk, drop him."

Immediately obeying the command, the chocobo let go of Cid's jacket, sending him back to the ground with an unceremonious thud. The bird then trotted over to its master's side.

Cid cursed under his breath as he struggled to get back up, brushing the sand and snow from his body. He caught a glimpse of red a short way off and realized that the bird's owner was nearby. "You know, you should keep your fuckin' animal under control, you son of a bitch."

There was no reply, as the bird's master simply crossed his arms over his chest, considering the situation.

The pilot finally looked up to see whoever it was that was in need of an ass kicking, and then he froze in place. "Oh you have got to be fucking me!"

Vincent narrowed his eyes and he snapped his fingers, signaling his chocobo to go back to foraging and to leave them alone.

Cid shook his head and smiled. If it was death that he wanted, the man before him would surely oblige. "Of all the places to land, I manage to find you."

"So, you're here purely on accident?" Vincent asked, cocking his head to the side.

"Yeah." Cid looked around, realizing that he'd been here before, twice in fact, and both times at the urging of the man before him. "Completely on accident. I ran out of fuel."

Vincent knew Cid better than that. "You wouldn't accidentally run out of fuel."

"No, it was on purpose. It was supposed to be a one way flight."

Vincent actually smiled. "You were going to intentionally crash?"

Cid looked away and shrugged.

"And you backed out of it?" Vincent was partially amused.

"No, not like you're thinkin'." Cid took a few steps toward the iced over water. "I just realized that I couldn't destroy the plane. It belongs to L.C."

"So, you still wish to die?" Vincent reached up and undid the buckles to his cloak, allowing it to fall to the snow.

"Yes."

_Let's give the man what he wants, then. _Chaos perked to attention, and knew that Vincent was going to give in, since he was now unbuttoning his shirt.

"I told you that if I ever saw you again, that I'd kill you." Vincent let his shirt drop down onto his cloak.

Cid looked over, seeing that Vincent was stripping. "Yeah, kill me, not fuck me, what are you doing?"

"These are the only clothes I've got. I'd rather not have them ruined when Chaos comes out." Vincent began to undo his pants.

"Okay…" Cid still wasn't comfortable watching Vincent disrobe and he turned his back to him. "Let me know when you're done there."

Vincent ached to tear Cid apart, and was having to fight Chaos long enough to finish undressing. He readied to push his pants off, but then the phone in his pocket began to ring, halting him. Fairly amazed that he could get a signal up here at all, Vincent pulled out his phone and answered. "Hello?"

"Vincent…"

"Tifa? What's wrong?" He couldn't believe that she was calling and he looked up to see Cid turn back to face him.

"Oh God, Vincent, Cid took off to kill himself and Jin and I…we don't know what to do…now Quigley's come by and told me that there's a cure for what he's dying of…" she cried into the phone. Not knowing what else to do in her misery, Tifa had called the only number that she could remember in her anguish.

"Just a minute." Vincent took a step forward and held the phone out to Cid. "It's for you."

The pilot looked confounded but took the phone. "Hello?"

Tifa stopped breathing and sat upon the edge of her bed, her eyes going wide. "C…Cid?"

Hearing the shock and tears in her voice made the pilot smile. "Hey, Tiff."

"You're…you're alive?"

"It'd be a little hard to talk to you if I wasn't." He kept his gaze upon Vincent, still seeing the rage seething beneath the stoic man's façade. "I almost did something real fuckin' stupid."

"Well thank God that you didn't! When Jin called and told me that you were going to kill yourself, I panicked!" Tears still fell from her eyes.

"No, killing myself wasn't the stupid thing, crashing the plane was. I couldn't take that away from L.C. I'm still not coming back." Cid's smile faltered as Tifa's crying got to him.

"Cid! You don't have to kill yourself! They have a cure! Quigley came to tell me that they have a cure for cancer!" Tifa gripped the phone tighter.

"You're just sayin' that to get me to come back, Tiff." Cid shook his head. "I ain't that dumb."

"Ask Vincent! He's the one that had the cure taken out of the lab!" She looked over at Quigley and Porter, as they were still present.

Cid knit his brow and then slowly lowered the phone. He locked gaze with Vincent. "Did you really steal the cure for cancer from the lab?"

Vincent just smiled faintly and nodded.

Cid huffed and rolled his eyes before putting the phone back to his ear. "Well, that would have been real fuckin' good to know about an hour or so ago."

"Cid, where are you?" Tifa was desperate to know where he was, since it would also tell her Vincent's location as well.

"Right here, about to die, Tiff."

"But I just told you! There's a cure!" She was terrified at the tone he was using.

"That may be, but I think Sue's got other ideas." He was still looking into Vincent's eyes, seeing that he was nodding in agreement.

"Cid! Get awa--"

He looked down at the cell phone in his hand, seeing that it was dead. The battery had given out. Cid let it fall down into the snow, since it was worthless now. "Bye, Tiff."

Vincent didn't move for a moment, waiting for Cid to do something. He wondered if the pilot would now have any resolve to fight him or just let him do what he wanted.

Cid dropped his gaze away and tried to take a deep breath, but the cold air bit at his lungs, sending him into a coughing fit. He tried to catch his breath, but it wasn't working, and he fell to all fours as he struggled for air.

Vincent watched Cid's attack and winced slightly when the snow before the other man was sprayed red as the coughing got worse.

Cid continued to choke, and it got to the point where he was also forced to vomit, expelling his earlier breakfast and beer into the crimson patch of snow before him. His head swam as his body fought for air, and he collapsed to his side, placing his hands around his throat as he desperately struggled to suppress the fit he was in.

Continuing to watch Cid suffer, Vincent felt his anger begin to fade away. It was being replaced with pity and he realized that letting Chaos come out to rip apart Cid as he was now would be far crueler than Vincent was willing to be. Besides, Tifa would never forgive him. As it was, she was sitting somewhere right now, crying her eyes out as she thought he was killing the pilot. He couldn't hurt her like that. Vincent turned around and picked his clothes up out of the snow and put them back on. He buckled his cloak back around his neck.

_No! Come on! You've been waiting for this! You were ready to give in and let me kill him! What in the fuck are you doing? _Chaos screamed at him.

"He's too pathetic," Vincent replied aloud, taking a few steps toward the other man. "Too fucking pathetic."

Cid felt the tension in his chest ease up just a bit, but he still felt like he was suffocating. Desperate for any help or relief, he reached out and grabbed Vincent's pant leg, looking up at his former friend, pleadingly.

Vincent glared down at him, seeing that blood was still dripping from the corner of Cid's mouth. Obviously, the man was in very bad shape. "What do you want me to do?"

His lungs were too full of blood at the moment to allow him to reply. Inwardly, he simply wished for death to end the pain and smothered feeling he was suffering from. Cid tried to say something, but it just choked him again, and he coughed a few more times.

Vincent scowled as Cid produced another bloody spray that covered his left boot. "That's very nice, thank you."

"Vin…" he managed out between gasps. "Help me."

_He screws my wife, intrudes on my solitude, pukes blood all over my leg, and now asks for help. Great, _Vincent thought to himself.

_I can still get rid of him, Vincent. If I wasn't so tired from the fact we haven't eaten in five days, I'd already have forced my way out and done him in. We _could_ eat him, you know. Then his arrival wouldn't be a complete waste._ Chaos was grasping at straws, wanting both to satisfy his murderous desires and growing hunger.

"Yes, Tifa would just love to know that I cannibalized her best friend." Vincent stooped down and picked up Cid.

The pilot closed his eyes and went limp in Vincent's arms. He felt new snow falling upon him as he was carried off somewhere. _A cure, they have a fucking cure and I'm going to die out here alone with only Vincent at my side. Fucking lovely._

Vincent carried him into the cavern behind the frozen waterfall at the end of the small valley. The outcropping of Mako and Materia in the back of the chamber kept it fairly well illuminated, but to ward off the cold, Vincent had built a fire in the middle of the cave. He placed Cid on the ground beside it and then sat down next to him, wondering if he was going to live or die. After the episode the pilot had just had outside, he thought the latter was likely.

Even though he was close to the fire and still wearing his jacket, Cid began to shiver. His body was just too stressed to keep itself warm under these conditions.

Vincent saw this and frowned before reaching up and undoing the buckles to his cloak once more. Once it was off, he moved and draped it around Cid.

The pilot cracked his eyes open for a moment when he realized that Vincent had just covered him. He pulled the heavy fabric around him closer. Cid turned his head a little to see Vincent sitting next to where he was laying, seeming to ignore him and staring into the fire. "Thanks."

Vincent tensed his jaw and didn't respond. He was miserable himself. It was boring here, and he was hungry, very much so-- but that was the point. Vincent had come here with the simple intent of killing himself via starvation. Chaos had tried to take him over since he'd gotten here, but the demon had been incapable of getting very far away from the cave before losing his hold on Vincent's mind. When he'd awake, Vincent would simply walk back here. He was moderately surprised that Chaos hadn't killed the chocobo that refused to leave the area in order to eat it, but since the bird had become his only company, Vincent was grateful.

Cid had just stumbled into this plan though, probably ruining it. It was obvious that in the shape the pilot was in, he wouldn't be able to get himself back to civilization if he lived through the night. Vincent would have to get him to ASRIO, that much he knew. If the cure was to be had, then Cid needed to get it. He wasn't thinking about saving Cid for the pilot's sake, but Tifa, Jin, and L.C. needed the man for some reason and he couldn't deny them that. Especially L.C. Vincent felt bad enough for making his own children fatherless, and making yet another poor boy grow up without a dad was the last thing he felt he could deal with. As long as he kept himself starved, Chaos' ability to come out would just continue to fade, making it somewhat safe for Vincent to take the other man where there were people. If he managed to get Cid where he could get help, then it would be simple enough for Vincent to either come back here and wait out his final days or just kill himself outright if Chaos was helpless to stop him.

He would wait until morning. There was a chance Cid wouldn't even survive that long. A very good chance, he figured.

------------------------------

Tifa sat in tears upon her bed, inconsolable. Not only were Quigley, Porter, and Angel present, along with Tifa's two children, but Jaras and Jeanine had now arrived as well.

Every time she closed her eyes, she had visions of Chaos tearing Cid apart. Vincent had told her flat out several times that if he ever saw Cid again that he'd kill him without hesitation and he had been serious. If nothing else, she'd come to appreciate the fact that Vincent didn't make a habit of joking.

"If Vincent kills Cid…I'll never forgive him…" Tifa sobbed, as Jaras sat at her side and placed his arms around her.

Tifa didn't bother calling Jin back to tell her that the pilot had landed safely, since she saw no point in doing so if he was now dead at her husband's hands.

------------------------------

Back in Rocket, Jin was pacing the house, her tearful eyes fixed upon the floor. She'd sent L.C. to the neighbor's to play, since she wasn't yet prepared to break the news to him. Until the wreckage of the plane was found, she would just have to believe on some level that Cid was alive, and until she was shown evidence to the contrary, she would say nothing to L.C.

------------------------------

Night had fallen, and the snowstorm had grown worse. The chocobo had entered the cave and was fluffed up sleeping in the corner, oblivious to the two men near the fire.

Vincent hadn't moved from where he'd ended up after giving Cid his cloak. It was getting terribly cold now as the storm outside raged on, and the fire's heat just wasn't enough.

Cid had started to shiver again, beneath the cloak. He was conscious and gazing into the blaze, thinking about his son and Jin. Knowing that they were mourning him even though he was still alive made him feel worse than he did physically. Cid felt tears in his eyes at the irony of it all. He was dying, and stuck with the person that hated him most. But he knew that Vincent had a good reason for his feelings. Cid had brought it upon himself. Affair with Tifa aside, he knew he'd generally carried on with being a jerk to Vincent with great elan. The constant taunts and name calling-- he was lucky that the former Turk hadn't killed him a long time ago although there had been a few physical altercations between them fourteen years back. Cid had always possessed some deep desire to press his luck with the other man, although he was damned if he knew why.

The cold that was cutting through him made it impossible to think about anything other than his physical misery after a while.

Vincent heard the pilot's breaths shudder and he glanced over, seeing that he was shivering as he froze. Being fairly cold himself, Vincent realized what he had to do, and it made him want to curl up and die. Until Cid was taken care of, though, Vincent would have to do what he needed to. Slowly, he crawled over and got behind the other man. Vincent lay down on the ground behind Cid, put the edge of the cloak over his own body, and then moved close enough that he was spooned up against the pilot firmly. Not knowing what else to do with his upper arm, Vincent grit his teeth and then let it slide around Cid's waist.

Cid held his breath as he felt Vincent settle down against him, and when that arm snaked around his waist, he snapped. "Again, kill me but don't fuck me, Sunshine."

"I'm trying to help us stay warm. Drop the inappropriate thoughts," Vincent said in a lackluster manner. He was honestly too tired to put up with any of Cid's protests. "I'm not gay, I never have been, and I'd appreciate it if both you and everyone else quit saying otherwise."

Cid snickered to himself quietly, but it was cut short by another brief bout of coughing. Vincent was funny whether he knew it or not. However, the pilot opted not to say anything further. He may not have liked Vincent, but having the other man against him was making him far more comfortable as some of the coldness was leached from his body. It went without saying that if they survived this, no one would ever be told of this night. "Good night, Sue."

Vincent just grunted in response and closed his eyes. Maybe he _was_ dead and this was Hell. It sure felt like it could be-- although it was awfully cold.

------------------------------

In the morning, Vincent woke up. Before he opened his eyes, he felt the body next to him and he was confused for a moment, until he remembered the night before. Feeling nauseous for having slept with Cid against him all night, he slowly sat up, looking around.

The fire had gone out and it was like ice within the cave. Daylight was making its way through the cave's entrance, mixing with the Mako glow coming from the rear of the chamber, giving everything a sickly hue.

Vincent sighed heavily as the ever-present hunger in his stomach nagged at him for relief that would not come. He turned and looked down at Cid, seeing the considerable bloodstain that had gathered beneath his head during the night. The pilot's skin was unusually white, and his slightly parted lips were almost blue.

Vincent watched and listed, but Cid didn't do anything.

Nothing. He didn't even seem to be breathing.

Vincent felt his heart rate jump a little and he got to his knees. He placed a hand against Cid's cheek, finding it to be unbearably cold.

_Looks like your problem worked itself out, Vincent. _Chaos was amused with the situation.

"No…Cid?" Vincent put both of his hands onto the pilot and rolled him onto his back. "Cid?"

There was no response.

"Shit! Cid!" Vincent shook him, needing some sort of sign from him. "Come on!"

Nothing.

Vincent sat back hard on the ground, feeling his hands shaking. "Oh God…"

Then something happened that Vincent had, in part, not expected. He hung his head, covered his face with his hands and cried. Not just a few silent tears, no-- body wracking sobs. His shoulders heaved and each breath came with a hoarse gasp. All of the memories of things that he and Cid had done played through his mind. Maybe things had taken a turn for the worse between them recently, but prior to that, the pilot had been a permanent fixture in both his and Tifa's lives. Most regrettably, there was a little boy whose entire world was about to crumble back in Rocket.

"You should learn to take a fuckin' pulse before writing someone off as dead, Sue."

Vincent looked up, eyes wide. Cid was sitting there, arms crossed over his chest and a look of deep satisfaction upon his face. The former Turk suddenly felt like an idiot and in his anger, he picked up a small rock and pelted Cid with it. "What the fuck? You did that on purpose?"

He shrugged. "I felt you wake up and decided to mess with you a bit, so I just laid there. I didn't think you'd instantly just panic like that and I sure as hell didn't think you'd start crying like a fifteen-year-old girl. I wish I had my fucking camera right about now."

Vincent was not amused and had it not been for his starvation, he wouldn't have been able to hold Chaos back. His momentary sorrow had now been completely eclipsed by anger and embarrassment. A string of obscenities burned in his throat and for one of the few times in his life, he didn't hold them back in the least. "You cock sucking mother fucker! You think that was funny? I thought you were fucking dead! Shit! What's wrong with you?"

"Calm down, Sunshine. Don't stain your panties. I was just screwin' with you." Cid unsteadily got up. "What's with this cryin' bit anyway? You on the rag?"

Vincent rose to his feet, scowling. The urge within him to run over and kill the man he'd just thought dead a moment ago was profound. "That was not funny."

"No, but your reaction sure as hell was." Cid chuckled to himself and ran a hand through his hair. "I'm goin' outside. Nature calls."

Vincent just watched him leave and then huffed. _Yes, life with Cid. I can see what Tifa and Jin thought appealing about this._

It's not too late, we can kill him!

Shut up! Vincent went over and snagged his cloak from the ground, before throwing it around his shoulders and buckling it.

He exited the cave and looked up, seeing that the storm clouds had parted. There was a good eight inches of fresh snow on the ground from the night before, and the whole scene was peaceful, until the quiet was shattered by Cid having another coughing fit as he returned from where he'd vanished into the nearby foliage. Cid bent over and put his hands on his knees, expelling more bloody fluid from his lungs.

"So the plane is out of fuel?" Vincent asked, taking a few steps toward the other man.

"Did you not pay attention yesterday when we went over that?" Cid shot back, wiping his mouth on his coat sleeve. "Or perhaps you missed the fact that her engines weren't running when I set down?"

"Fine, then we'll have to take Dirk."

Cid shook his head. "The chicken?"

"Chocobo." Vincent started back to the cave to go retrieve and saddle up the bird.

"No."

Vincent stopped and turned back around to face him. "No? How else are we getting you back to civilization? You're in no shape to walk that distance."

"I don't like those things." He crossed his arms over his chest.

"Then you'll die." Vincent produced a smile.

"God damn it." The pilot scowled and looked out over the frozen lake. "Of all the fucking places to land…"

"I'm getting Dirk ready, we'll leave shortly. Get whatever you need from the plane." He went back into the cave and got to the task of tacking up their ride.

------------------------------

Tifa awoke in the morning, Aaron lying at her side in the bed. Charlotte had just started stirring in her crib beside the bed, and she knew it wouldn't be long before she needed to get up and nurse the baby.

She slid from the bed and carried out her morning rituals before going and changing the baby and getting to the task of feeding her daughter.

As she sat there with the baby in her arms, tears fell down her cheeks. How Cid had ended up where Vincent was seemed odd. Maybe he'd known where to find Vincent and had gone to him on purpose, knowing that he would indulge the pilot's death wish. If she found out that Vincent had done such a thing, then she would know that he was lost to her forever.

When she finished nursing the baby, a knock came to the door. Not wanting to jostle the infant who seemed more than comfortable at the moment, she called out, "Come in."

The door cracked open and to her surprise, Reno strolled in, walking with the aid of a cane to help him steady his balance. "Hey, Tifa."

"Reno! I can't believe you're up and around like this." Tifa patted the couch next to her, indicating that he should sit with her.

He eagerly made his way over to her side and landed. Reno turned his one shining eye to her, seeing the tears that still marked her cheeks. "What's wrong? Thinkin' about fly boy and Vinny?"

She nodded shallowly. "Yeah. I just wish I knew where they were…and if Vincent…"

"Killed him or not?" Reno leaned back, placing his arms along the back of the couch.

"Yeah."

"Tifa, look, you know that he didn't." He looked over at Aaron, who was still sleeping on the bed.

"He said he would if he ever saw Cid again." Tifa stared down at the baby in her arms.

"I don't think he would. Vinny's full of shit sometimes." The former Turk turned and gave her a smile.

"Reno, I really hope you're right. I'm just so scared." A few more tears fell from her eyes.

He sighed and moved to put his arm around her shoulders. "I'm gonna find them, Tifa. I swear to you right here and now that I'm going to find Vinny and I'm going to give him back to you. I decided that the other day, and I'm gonna stick by it."

She gave him a smile. "How are you going to do that, Reno?"

"I don't know, but I'm going to." He moved to get up, tapping his cane on the floor once he was up. "You'll see."

------------------------------

Vincent had the bird ready to go, and he led it out of the cave. Cid was just emerging from the plane with his pack over his shoulder.

Vincent got into the saddle, figuring that Cid would just have to ride behind him. He rode the bird over to where the pilot was standing, looking full of reservations. "Come on, let's get you out of here."

Cid put his hands on his hips. "I hate you, you know that."

"Yes, I'm aware, let's go." Vincent moved the chocobo just a little closer to him. "Get on."

"And I'm going to have to ride in the bitch seat behind you?" Cid asked.

"Get on, Cid!" Vincent shouted, having lost his patience.

"I should be driving, I always drive."

Vincent locked gazes with the other man. "Okay, look, it's my chocobo, so I'm holding the reins. Get over it and get on!"

Realizing that he shouldn't press his luck any further, Cid relented and went to the side of the bird. Vincent slipped his left boot out of the stirrup so Cid could use it to hoist himself up. Once on, he situated himself behind Vincent.

Vincent tightened his grip on the reins. "Aren't you going to hold on?"

"No." There was no way that Cid was going to put his arms around the other man's waist.

"Fine." Vincent kicked the bird and it bolted beneath them.

Cid instantly regretted his refusal to hold on and quickly reconsidered as he was nearly thrown off the animal's back. His arms immediately cinched around Vincent, holding on tight.

Vincent rolled his eyes and urged the bird to go as fast as it could with the considerable burden of two men upon it. If all went well, he could have Cid to the last mountain town he'd passed on the way here in four hours or so.

As they rode on, Cid began to feel exhausted again, despite having just slept for nine hours. He couldn't help but lean forward against Vincent's back, rest his head against the other man's shoulder and close his eyes. "Hey, Sue?"

Feeling the pilot get closer to him didn't thrill the former Turk, but he knew that Cid didn't feel well. "What?"

"Why didn't you just kill me? Why go to this trouble?"

Vincent didn't want to get into this with him, but this was likely to be one of the last conversations he would have. "I was going to, but once I saw how sick you really are…I rethought it. Besides, if they can cure you, then you need to get better and go back to L.C. It's bad enough that Aaron and Charlotte have to grow up without a father, but if we can spare your boy that fate, then so be it."

"Sue?"

"Yes?"

Cid smiled, keeping his eyes closed. "Thanks."

A protracted silence passed before the pilot spoke up again. "Can I ask you something?"

Vincent knew that no matter how he replied, Cid would do so anyway. "What's that?"

"Can you forgive me?"

He reined the bird to a stop and hung his head. The fact that he hadn't forgiven the other man was one of the things that had made him cry that morning when he'd thought Cid had died. "I don't know. I may have ruined my marriage, but you did betray my trust by doing what you did, and then taking Tifa to bed within a day of my supposed death… That was pretty hard on me, Cid."

"I know, I'm sorry, guy." Cid honestly did regret his rushed attempts at a relationship with Tifa. "I was all fucked up. Learning I was dying…seeing her fear of being alone after she'd been told you were dead…. I'm not trying to make excuses, but things were out of control."

Vincent gently urged the bird onward again. "But you're with Jin now, and plan to stay that way?"

"I married her a few days ago." Cid brought his left hand up from around Vincent's waist for a moment, flashing the plain gold band he now sported.

His red eyes narrowed as he caught sight of the ring. "Really?"

Cid put his left arm back where it'd been. "Yeah, so you don't need to worry about me tryin' anything with Tifa again. Besides, I think she and I both know now that it just wouldn't work between us. All we really did was fight, Vincent."

Hearing his actual name told him that Cid was being honest. "I see."

"I'm with Jin, where I belong. My son's happy, and so am I. She must be going out of her mind right now. I can't believe I put her through this…" Cid fell silent and sighed, affording him a few coughs.

"You can call her when I get you to the town up ahead. I'm going to buy you a train ticket and get you on your way to ASRIO, all right?" Vincent felt the other man lean on him a little more.

"Okay. Don't let me fall off." Cid was losing his battle to stay awake.

"I'll see what I can do."

------------------------------

It was just past noon when Vincent crested a hill, spotting the mountain town spreading out before him. The houses there had smoke drifting up from the chimneys, making Vincent long to be out of the cold. Cid had been sleeping against his back now for several hours, and he was ready to be off of the bird.

They got onto the main street of the town, and he stopped Dirk in front of a restaurant. Vincent turned slightly. "Cid? Wake up."

The pilot opened his eyes and sat up. "We're here? Where _is_ here?"

Vincent helped Cid slide to the ground before dismounting as well. He tied the reins of the chocobo to the hitching post before the small diner. "Mairnet, or as you would say, 'back woods fucking no where'."

"Oh." Cid stretched, trying to get the soreness from his body.

"Go in there and get something to eat. I'll walk on down to the train station and get you a ticket." Vincent's tone made clear that this was an order.

Cid nodded. "Aren't you hungry? You ain't eaten since I landed, at least."

Vincent looked away. "No, I'm all right."

The pilot thought about the previous day and the few moments that he'd seen Vincent without his shirt on. He found himself examining Vincent's face a little closer, seeing that his cheeks seemed a little more hollow than they'd been. "Sunshine? You're starving yourself, aren't you?"

The gunman shrugged. "I'm all right, Cid. Now, go get something to eat, you need it."

Cid wanted to argue but Vincent turned away and walked off. He realized that Vincent was killing himself, and that there was nothing he could do about it.

After getting the train ticket that would allow Cid to get to Costa del Sol by the following morning, he went back to the diner. Vincent entered and spotted Cid in a booth, working on a cup of coffee. He sat opposite the pilot and unbuckled his cloak, allowing it to fall back off his shoulders. "Your traveling arrangements have been made, here's your ticket. You leave at three."

He took the ticket and shoved it into his jacket pocket. "Thanks. Vincent, you're going back up there after I leave, aren't you?"

The former Turk nodded. "Yes."

"And you're up there to kill yourself?"

His crimson eyes met Cid's. "I have no choice but to do this. With Chaos in me, I'm too much of a danger. If they tried to treat me, he'd fight and come out and I can't risk him hurting anyone."

"It's funny." Cid took another sip of his drink. "Here we are, completely different, and in two separate situations, but we go to kill ourselves at the same time and end up in the same place."

"I'm just trying to protect everyone, Cid." Vincent leaned back, the smell of the food being cooked getting to him.

"So was I." The pilot looked down into his coffee cup. "I didn't want everyone to watch me die."

On some level, Vincent understood. "Luckily for you, there's a cure."

"Vince, did you have them get that cure out of the lab because of me?" Cid asked, trying to not do so in a way that would set Vincent off.

"Yes."

"So even in the middle of all that they were doin' to you, you actually thought of helping me?" Cid was fairly amazed that this had happened.

Vincent didn't want to talk about it. "Yes."

"I'm gonna have to find some way to get my plane back home. After I get patched up, I'll see if Brad can give me a lift out here with enough fuel to get the old girl back to civilization." He frowned. "I hope being out there in the snow for a few weeks doesn't mess up the plane too badly."

"I'll keep an eye on it as long as I can." Vincent picked up a napkin from the table and began to fidget with it.

"How long do you think it's going to take?"

Vincent cocked an eyebrow. "What?"

"To starve yourself to death?" Cid finished his coffee and leaned back as the waitress dropped his plate onto the table.

His eyes were drawn to the burger and fries that Cid had ordered. "I don't know, maybe another week or so. I'm not drinking water or eating anything. It should be fairly soon."

"Okay." Cid began to eat.

Vincent shook his head. "You can't tell them where I am, Cid."

His eyes narrowed and he answered with his mouth full, "I didn't say I was gonna."

"No, but I know you and you would have." Vincent leaned forward. "I'll just go somewhere else if you're going to rat me out."

Cid figured he owed Vincent whatever he wanted. "If you don't want me to tell, then I won't. You have my word. I'm not all that thrilled with you dyin', but I understand your reasoning. I won't tell."

Somehow, Vincent knew he could trust Cid on this. "Thank you."

"But when I come back for that plane, I'm taking your body out of that cave so we can get you put out there with your brother in Wutai, all right?" Cid met his gaze.

The fact that the pilot would do this for him was oddly touching. "I…I'd appreciate that, Cid."

"Sure thing."

"Are you going to call Jin?" Vincent asked, needing to change the subject.

He shook his head. "No, my phone's not getting any reception up here and the waitress said the phones in town ain't working thanks to that storm last night. I guess everyone will figure out I'm alive once I show up at the ASRIO base. I can call Jin from there."

"Good. Cid?"

"Yeah?"

"Tell Tifa I'm sorry, and that I love her, okay?" Vincent produced a faint smile.

"You got it, Sue."


	26. Chapter 26

Don't just freak out, keep reading, that's all the advice I've got for this chapter.

Chapter Twenty Six

Cid finished his lunch and sat back, considering Vincent for a while. "Hey, Sue?"

He snapped out of the daydream he'd fallen into. "Yes?"

"Thanks."

"For what?" Vincent asked, leaning forward and putting his elbows on the table.

The pilot smiled shyly, looking a little embarrassed. "For cryin' this morning."

"You made fun of me for it."

"I know, but honestly, thanks." He picked up his cup and took a drink. "Back at the house a while ago, you said you might shed a tear over me when I died, and I thought you were full of shit."

Vincent cocked an eyebrow. He didn't really know what to say, as he wasn't particularly proud of his emotional outburst that morning. "You're lucky that you didn't actually end up dead for that little trick."

"Sorry, I know, and this isn't the kinda stuff we're supposed to talk about." Cid finished his coffee and set the cup back down. "We better change the subject quick, I'm starting to feel like we're fagging out here."

Again, Vincent's eyebrow raised.

Cid laughed, "You know, this emotional talk, you cuddling up to me last night, and then having to hold onto you all morning while on that bird. It's gettin' a little weird."

The former Turk couldn't help himself and he laughed. "You're not telling me that you liked any of that, did you?"

"Hell no!" Cid slammed his hand down onto the table. "And so help me God if anyone, _anyone_, ever finds out about any of this…"

"Then I suggest you keep your mouth shut when you get home." Vincent slumped back into his seat. "Cid?"

"Huh?"

"Why have you always been…" His words trailed off as he thought better about pressing on.

"I've always been what?" Cid asked, not willing to let it go, able to tell that whatever it was that it was important to Vincent.

"Mean to me?"

Cid leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest. "I dunno."

"Surely there's been a reason. You don't treat others like that all of the time. From the day I came out from that box, you've seemed to get off on harassing me." Vincent narrowed his eyes, having wanted the answer to this question for fourteen years.

Cid tersed his lips for a moment. "In the beginning? Well, all that constant moping and whiney Lucrecia crap annoyed me. I mean, you weren't exactly the epitome of manhood at that point. You should have sucked it up a little there, guy."

Vincent's lips pulled down into a frown, but he remained silent, seeing that Cid had more to say.

"Then, you seemed to completely disrespect AVALANCHE by ignoring us and refusing to be social at all. Maybe I figured that you thought you were better than the rest of us. That pissed me off, and that's when I probably really got hard on you. Then you'd do things like pop off those little snide remarks whenever I'd say something. That was just down right rude of you." Cid shook his head, remembering how much Vincent used to piss him off.

Vincent smiled. "I know, I remember the day before we went down into the crater… You were pulling your 'I'm in charge and important, listen to me' routine and I laughed at you. You kicked me in the back, remember?"

Cid reciprocated his expression. "Yeah, fucked you up, too. Of course, you damn near ripped off my arm once you got up off the floor."

"I would have, but I saw Tifa, and her expression…" Vincent slouched down, as the memory replayed itself.

The pilot leaned forward. "You tellin' me that you had the hots for her even back then?"

Vincent felt a little color come to his cheeks. "To some extent, yes. I couldn't hurt you because I saw that if I'd done so, she never would have forgiven me."

"Looks like I owe Tifa my life a few times over, then." He looked out the window. "She's the reason you didn't kill me yesterday, too, isn't she?"

"Yes," he confessed, quietly.

"I see." Cid seemed satisfied with that. "You know, though, I only kept messing with you after you got with Tifa because I liked you."

"So you tried to make me miserable when you didn't like me, and then you kept it up because you decided that you did?" Vincent cocked his head to the side.

"Come on, Sue. The way I messed with you changed. Back in the day, I was just flat out mean to you, but starting seven years ago, I just sorta started teasing you. You know, I wasn't being mean to be mean, I was being mean to get some sort of reaction out of you. You're too easy that way. And hey, I don't give pet names to and tease people that I don't really like."

"What do you do to the people that you don't really like?" Vincent asked, perplexed.

"I don't hang out with them, that's for sure. For the most part, I'd ignore you, probably refuse to be around you at all." Cid sighed, realizing that they were still in the sort of 'deep' talk that he hated. However, he owed Vincent his life at the moment and supposed he should humor him.

Vincent leaned forward and placed his hand over one of Cid's. "I have a confession to make."

The pilot looked at where their hands were touching, wanting to pull away but hesitating, wondering what Vincent was up to. "What's that?"

"I…" Vincent's cheeks flushed bright red. "Remember what I said last night?"

"No."

"Come on, when I laid down behind you?" Vincent met his gaze.

Cid's eyes went wide, and he felt a sweat break on his skin. "About…about you not being gay?"

Vincent nodded shallowly. "That wasn't completely honest."

The pilot swallowed hard, feeling more uncomfortable than he could ever remember feeling in his life. "Uh…"

"Maybe I am," Vincent said quietly, "and maybe…I'm in love with you, beneath it all. Maybe I have been for years."

Cid snapped and got up from the table hurriedly, almost falling in his haste. He backed away a few steps, seeing that everyone in the restaurant had their eyes upon him. "No! No, no, no! Not even! Not in a million years! I…no!"

"Come on, Cid, don't make a big scene. Sit down." Vincent motioned toward where the pilot had been sitting. "Don't be like that."

"I knew it! You _are_ just like your fucking brother! Oh God…you…you mean you really meant it back at the house when you told me that you loved me? Oh no…no!" Cid was shaking in his disgust. He may have constantly accused Vincent of being queer, but he never really had given it any credit.

Vincent got up from the booth and grabbed his cloak. He took a few strides over to Cid and put his hand on the other man's shoulder. "Cid…"

The pilot knocked Vincent's hand away as hard as he could. "Don't you ever fucking touch me! I ain't like that!"

Vincent looked around, seeing that everyone present was now looking at the two of them, and that Cid was as embarrassed as he'd ever been in his entire life. "Are you upset?"

"Gee, you think?" Cid took a few more steps backward. Since he'd already paid for his lunch, he knew he could just turn and run out if he were so inclined.

Vincent looked hurt for a moment and hung his head. His shoulders heaved a few times, and he covered his face with his hands, muffled sounds soon emanating from him.

"Aw shit, no." Cid took one small step forward. "Look, guy, I'm sorry, but… Damn it, Sunshine, I… Come on!"

"You…you don't like me! I knew it!" Vincent cried out, still hiding behind his hands.

"Damn it, Sue! I just…I ain't like that! Now stop crying!" Cid wanted to wither up and die. The fact that he presently had an audience of about thirty people staring on at the little drama unfolding was worse than death. "Stop fuckin' cryin'!"

Vincent's hands fell away from his face, instantly revealing the fact that he hadn't been crying at all. In fact, he'd been trying hard not to laugh.

Cid was confused by this for a moment, not getting the joke.

"And you said that _I_ was easy." Vincent smiled broadly, beginning to laugh.

"You…you weren't serious?" Cid asked, already knowing the answer.

Vincent threw his cloak around his shoulders and buckled it. "No, I wasn't, not in the least, and you just made a complete ass of yourself in front of all of these nice people. I think we should go now."

"You little fucker!" Cid had to fight his urge to haul off and hit Vincent, but the former Turk quickly turned away and started for the door. The pilot glanced around the diner for a moment, cutting through the lookers on with a glare, before following suit.

Vincent was waiting for him outside the door, the grin still on his lips. "Now, Highwind, I think we're even for your little stunt this morning."

Cid was still mad, but deep down, he had to give Vincent credit. That had taken a lot of nerve on the other man's part to pull off that little charade. "Fuck you, Sue."

"I do believe that you just made it clear that you weren't interested," Vincent laughed back as he began to untie Dirk's reins from the hitching post.

Not able to stop himself, Cid struck out and smacked Vincent as hard as he could in the back of the head.

Vincent winced at the blow and turned around, his smile refusing to fade. "See, a reaction can be gotten out of you as well."

Cid hung his head and laughed to himself. Apparently, Vincent possessed a wicked sense of humor somewhere under that façade of his. He knew at that moment exactly how much they meant to one another as friends despite everything that happened. The fact that after he left on the train in two hours he'd never see the former Turk alive again cut through him and he took a step forward and pulled Vincent to him.

Vincent was caught a little off guard by this, but submitted to the embrace. "Second thoughts?"

"No, just shut up," Cid whispered back to him, keeping him close for a moment. "I'm gonna miss you."

Vincent smiled faintly. "Thank you."

Cid stepped back after a minute, seeing that some of the patrons that had left the restaurant were now standing on the sidewalk looking on. "Get lost you nosey bastards!"

------------------------------

They spent those last two hours sitting outside of the train station on a bench. The sun was out, making it warm enough for them to be comfortable despite the snow on the ground. The time had been filled with meaningless banter, as they felt that all of the important stuff had already been said. Finally, an announcement came over the station intercom, giving the boarding call for Cid's train.

The pilot stood up and pulled his ticket from his pocket. "Okay, well, I'm goin'."

Vincent got up as well. "All right. I hope it works out for you."

"Yeah." Cid gave in and embraced Vincent on more time. "Goodbye."

Vincent closed his eyes for a moment. "Bye. Remember to tell Tifa, all right? Make sure that she and the kids are taken care of."

Cid stepped back. "I will."

"Go before you miss your train."

"Okay." Cid picked his pack up off the bench and threw it over his shoulder. He gave Vincent one last smile and then boarded the train.

The former Turk watched on until Cid disappeared from view. Once he was gone, he walked over to his chocobo and got on. He reined the bird back in the direction of the cave and left town.

------------------------------

Reno strolled the ASRIO base slowly, just taking in the place with his slightly new perspective on things. He'd sent Dana to go play at Jessie's for awhile, freeing him up to come here with Angel today. The thought that this wasn't his anymore bothered him beyond comprehension. Angel was doing a good enough job of running the show, but the stress it was putting on her was taking its toll. He could tell that his wife was having a hard time with things, and he didn't want her miserable.

After a while, he found himself before Tseng's door. Still having the key to the room in his possession, Reno pulled it out, unlocked the door and entered. He flipped on the light and went to the couch and settled into his usual position.

"All right, Tseng, where in the fuck is Vinny?" he asked. To his surprise, the answer came before he'd delved into his typical trance.

"You know, he hates it when you call him that."

Reno turned his head toward the bed, seeing Tseng there, seemingly in the flesh. "Oh man, I'm more messed up than I thought…"

"Yes, you are." Tseng gave him a smile. "You don't even have your eye closed."

"Yeah, I know, and there you are." Reno wasn't as shaken as he probably would have been about seeing a ghost this clearly, had it not been for his out of body experience after being taken into the infirmary. "You really have been here all of those times I came by and pretended to talk to you, huh?"

Tseng nodded. "Like I said, I couldn't just leave you in charge of this without guidance."

"Yeah well, I ain't in charge no more." Reno felt his shoulders slump.

"The rules?"

Reno nodded slowly, as to not hurt himself. "Yeah, and they're some lame ass rules."

"You know why they were put in place, Reno." Tseng folded his hands upon his lap.

"I know, but I ain't that fucked up."

"You just sat here and told me you were more messed up than you thought." Tseng's tone indicated that he was joking.

"Yeah, but Angel's miserable running this thing. She was great as second, but I can't help but think that she's hatin' life at the moment." He thought briefly about how down his wife had been recently. "Of course, part of her problem is Vinny going off like he did."

"Yes, well, she loves him." Tseng gave a faint smile.

"He shot me in the fuckin' face, and I sat there and promised Tifa that I'd find him. Crazy, huh?" Reno laughed a little to himself.

"Well, you _were_ shot in the head."

Reno scowled and gave his old partner a glare. "Yeah, I'm aware. So, do you know where he is or not?"

"On the subject of Tsuvatai, what would you say to him to get him to come back with you in the first place?" Tseng asked.

"Well, I figured I'd take that fuckin' dart gun with me and shoot his ass and drag him back here." Reno smiled at the thought.

"He'd just run away again," the former ASRIO leader replied.

Tseng had a point. "Yeah, that's probably true."

"Why do you think he ran away?"

"Chaos."

"But for what purpose?" Tseng narrowed his eyes.

Reno thought for a moment. "To keep him from hurting anyone, which means… oh, he probably went somewhere to be alone. Maybe he went to…damn it, that thing when you..." He brought up his right hand and feigned shooting himself in the head.

"Suicide." Tseng nodded. "So if you found him, how would you change his mind?"

"I don't know. He knows we have the drug we gave him before, so that's not the answer." He ran his left hand through his hair. "Tifa still loves him, that could do it."

"How about telling him he can't break a promise?" he asked.

Reno thought hard. "A promise? About not killing himself?"

"Think, Reno." Tseng smiled again. "You know this one."

"Killing himself…he did that before, or tried to. You told me he almost shot himself when you caught up with him in Rocket all those years back." His mind was struggling for traction.

"Yes, and?"

"Tifa was there…oh," Reno's eye widened in his sudden burst of insight. "Tifa was there, she probably got mad that he tried to kill himself, especially with what happened to Cloud and all. I bet she made him promise he wouldn't kill himself, right?"

"And maybe he needs to be reminded of that." Tseng got up and came over, sitting on the opposite end of the couch. "So, that's what you have to do."

"Yeah, but where is he?" Reno asked, wanting the answer.

"I'm just a figment of your imagination, Reno. I can't pull answers from the air for you." Tseng leaned back.

"No, you're a ghost, you're really here." Reno pointed at him. "I'm seeing you for real right there."

"Maybe you're delusional."

Reno got mad. "I'm not fuckin' hallucinating! You're real, Tseng! You're here, you've been here all along, you were the one that convinced me to live from this injury!"

"You seem fairly convinced that you're completely mentally competent." Tseng cocked an eyebrow at him.

"I am!"

"Then fuck the rules, Reno." Tseng got up and gave him a smile. "Fuck them."

Reno went to say something in return, but when he looked over at where Tseng had walked to, there was nothing. "All right then. Let's get this show on the road."

He got up from the couch and left the room. Reno walked straight to the control room and found Angel sitting at his desk.

She was absorbed in something and didn't notice him until he whacked the side of the desk with his cane. "Reno? What are you doing?"

"I'm taking over," he said with absolute confidence.

"Reno, I'd let you but the ru--" She found herself cut off as he leaned over the desk.

"Fuck the rules, Babe." Reno smiled. "I'm the boss, I make the rules. So I got shot in the head. So what? So I can't remember sometimes those words…that…stand for things that I want to describe."

"Nouns?" Angel asked sarcastically.

Reno nodded at her. "Yeah, those. So what if I can't say all of those? What does it matter? I'm otherwise fine, and I'm taking over!"

Angel didn't want to be in charge, and she was willing to make a compromise. "All right, you go talk to Janice. See if there are some tests she can give you to assess your mental abilities. If you can pass, and by pass I mean do very, _very_ well, then fine, we can change the rules."

Reno straightened up. "That's right, Babe. Let's go see the doc. I'm getting my job back."

"There's a catch, though." Angel stood up.

"What's that?"

"Porter stays as second." She dropped her gaze to the desk before her.

He didn't understand. Angel had been second since he'd been promoted. "Why?"

"Well, because…I need some time off." Her cheeks flushed red.

Reno suddenly got a very strange feeling. "Why?"

"I guess there's something in the water…" She looked away, remembering the last time she'd given him big news and his reaction.

"Babe?"

"Jeanine's not the only one." She looked up slowly and met his gaze.

"You're fucking me, right?"

"No, that's how we got in this situation to begin with. I found out yesterday. Dana's going to have a brother or sister." Angel smiled, hoping that he'd take this well.

"No shit?"

Mocking his expression, she replied, "None whatsoever."

Reno quickly went around the desk and took her into his arms. "That's the best news I've gotten in a while! Babe, thanks!"

Angel held him tightly. He'd brought up his wish of having another child several times over the last few months, and two months ago they'd started trying or at least, they were no longer _not_ trying. She knew that she had literally dodged the bullet by not having him die. "No, thank you, Reno. You've been the best father Dana could have ever had, and I know you'll do just as well with this one."

Reno felt tears trail down his cheek. He was happy.

------------------------------

Cid watched the winter scenery roll by, as the train made its way from the mountains and to the coast. It stopped in a town, several passengers getting off and others boarding, one of whom landed in the seat that faced his.

The woman gave him a faint smile as she settled back. "Hello."

The pilot examined her. She was cute, if not a little heavy. Her face betrayed that she had serious things on her mind, but it didn't take away from the fact that he wouldn't mind looking at her for the next several hours. "Hey."

Deciding to make small talk, she asked, "Where are you headed?"

"Costa, and you?" Cid replied.

"Same here." Her bright eyes reflected the smile she gave him. "Tourist?"

Cid shook his head. "Naw, goin' for medical treatment."

"I see."

"And you?"

"Business." Again she gave him a smile before leaning forward and extending her hand. "Name's Amy."

He accepted her handshake. "Cid."

Her eyes narrowed in thought. "You're Cid Highwind?"

"Heard of me, huh?"

"Everyone has, and I bet I know where you're really going. I work there, or at least, I did." She sighed heavily and looked out the window.

"You did? Then why are you going there if you don't now?" he asked, honestly curious.

"Because I need to talk to the boss about a few things. I might take a desk job. I was in the field, but I went through some things recently that…that were pretty rough and I don't ever want to be in those sorts of situations again." Amy forced a faint smile as she looked at him.

Cid locked into her dark blue eyes. "Bad stuff, huh?"

Amy nodded, running a hand through her dark hair. "Very."

The pilot felt bad for her and figuring that he'd had enough practice with this sort of thing with Tifa, he offered, "If you need to talk about it, you can. I won't mind."

Amy looked around, seeing that the seats around them for a few rows were vacant, meaning that they had a little privacy. "Well, I was sent in as a plant in a lab facility, but that was never really my job. I was just a handler for other plants, but something happened and they needed me."  
He nodded, understanding well enough.

"I was assigned to be with a certain doctor there, in order to watch out for someone, someone that I do believe you know." Amy knew that Vincent Valentine and Cid Highwind had both been members of AVALANCHE as well as both having had dealings with ASRIO over the years.

Cid was already onboard. "Yeah, Vince, right?"

"Mr. Valentine, yes."

The pilot had wondered about this but hadn't dared ask Vincent himself for the short while they'd been together. "What happened?"

"Well, Mr. Valentine came to the building of his own free will and gave over a disc to the doctor, apparently to sell out ASRIO, but the disc proved to be blank, earning Mr. Valentine…a terrible punishment." She hung her head.

"What did they do to him?" Cid felt an uncomfortable knot form within him.

"The doctor first beat the living daylights out of him, and then he decided to try doing some inhumane experiments on him after forcing Mr. Valentine through ferium withdrawal." Amy shook her head and looked out the window again. "The doctor injected Mr. Valentine with something and then started to burn him to see if the drug he gave him made a difference, but it didn't. It was the most awful thing I've ever seen someone do to another person. I…I ran out. It literally made me sick."

Cid tensed his jaw upon hearing this. "Damn…"

Amy opted to leave out some things. "A little while later, I was back in the lab, and Mr. Valentine managed to break his restraints and come after the doctor and he turned into this…thing."

"Right, Chaos."

"Whatever it was, it tore off the doctor's arm, which was…not as bad a thing as the son of a bitch deserved." She shrugged. "After that, I tried to get Mr. Valentine to leave with me, but he refused. He didn't want to get out."

He nodded, knowing the rest of the story. "But ASRIO went and got him out anyway."

"They did?" Her whole face brightened.

"Yeah, and he ran off afterward." Knowing that he had sworn not to reveal Vincent's location, he left it at that.

"I'm just so glad he got out of there." Amy slouched back into her seat. "Really glad."

"Thanks for caring about him," Cid said, almost feeling a little strange about it. Knowing that it would be better for the both of them to leave the subject of Vincent for awhile, he turned to other things. "So you're thinkin' about taking a less exciting position?"

She huffed. "If I stay on at all. I don't know right now, I'm a little…confused. Doesn't help that I haven't had a cigarette in four days, either."

"Those things'll kill you," he replied under his breath.

"Yeah," Amy met his gaze again, "but I still could use one."

Not having any need for them, Cid reached into his coat pocket and pulled out the pack he'd brought with him on his intended suicide mission. He handed them over along with his old lighter. "Here, take 'em. I don't need them anymore."

Amy instantly pulled one out and put it to her lips, quickly lighting it. After her first drag, she held the lighter back out to him. "Here."

Cid shook his head and raised a hand. "Naw, you keep it. I don't smoke anymore."

Amy considered the small chrome object in her hand for a moment. It was an expensive lighter, if not well used. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, think of it as a souvenir. Tell your grandkids about how you got it from Cid Highwind someday." He offered her a faint smile before turning toward the window.

"Wow, thanks." She slipped it into her pocket. Amy stared at him as he continued to gaze out at the scenery. Although she'd seen plenty of pictures of him over the years, there was something different about being with him in person. The pilot had a definite presence, and immediately she knew that she was with someone who was unwaveringly confident in everything he did. His features screamed stereotypical pilot in every way, and a faint blush came to her cheeks when she realized her attraction to him.

Cid saw her quickly look away out of the corner of his eye, and he faced her again, seeing that she looked a little embarrassed. Being somewhat of a celebrity, he was used to this to some degree, but it always amused him to see a female have such a reaction to him. It was good for the ego, and that was not something he really needed any help with. He decided to give her a hard time for it. "Sorry kid, I'm too old for you, and I got married the other day."

Amy's blush deepened, and she laughed nervously. "I'm that easy to read, huh?"

"Yeah, probably not real becoming qualities of a secret agent." Cid gave her a smile.

"No, well, like I said, I was supposed to just be a handler." She flicked some of her ashes into the small tray embedded into the arm of her seat. Amy continued to stare at him, noticing that his complexion wasn't quite as dark as it had always seemed in the pictures of him she'd lain eyes upon. The pilot also looked a little drawn, and at first she was inclined to write it off to the fact that most of the photos of him that she'd seen were about fifteen years old. As she kept studying him though, it was obvious that it was more than that. He looked sick. "You said you were going for medical treatment?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Supposedly your guys have something that can help me."

"Can I ask what's wrong?" Amy extinguished her spent cigarette in the ashtray.

Cid looked into her eyes for a moment. "Cancer, from smoking."

"Oh God, I'm really sorry to hear that." Amy suddenly felt terrible for having smoked in his presence.

"Not your fault, in fact, it's no one's fault but mine. I ain't one of these pathetic fucks who pushes the responsibility for my actions upon the companies that make those things. No one held a gun to my head and made me smoke. I did it to myself. Reap what you sew or whatever, right?" Once more he looked out the window. "But, I was told that there might be a cure back at the base, so that's where I'm heading."

"Really? A cure for cancer?" Amy was intrigued.

"Well, like I said, that's what I've been told. I guess Vince had some computer snagged from the lab on his way out that had it on there. We'll see if it's a load of crap or not soon enough." The pilot grinned faintly. "Better hope it's not if you're gonna keep smokin'."

"Yeah." Amy gave him a small laugh. Mr. Highwind seemed like a decent guy to spend the trip with, and she felt a little better about everything. They filled the travel time with small talk, harmlessly flirting.

------------------------------

Reno had been subjected to about six hours worth of testing up in an office in Costa del Sol. He was being tested by a doctor who specialized in cognitive dysfunction and he was not having a good time.

"Damn it, I'm sick of this! I don't see what solving these stupid puzzles is proving. I think I've done enough." Reno pushed back the paper before him and crossed his arms over his chest.

"I need you to just finish these last few and we'll be done," the doctor shot back, wondering why he'd been willing to do this favor for Janice.

"You said that an hour ago." He just wanted to go home at this point.

"Well, if you don't finish the testing, then you fail. Period."

Reno scowled. This was just an incredible pain in the ass, and he had a screaming headache not from his injury but from having been focusing on the problems for so long. "These are the last ones, right? You're not gonna whip out another paper after I finish this one?"

"No, we'll call it quits after this." Seeing that he was going to get his subject to cooperate, the doctor relaxed a little.

------------------------------

It was late but Jaras found it hard to sleep. His mind was tormenting him with thoughts about his father and all of the unrest in his family. Not wanting to disturb Jeanine as he tossed in the bed, Jaras finally gave up and got dressed, before stepping out of his room. He paced the halls, seeking some way to calm his state of mind.

Angel was sitting at her desk, trying to finish just a few more things before going home to Reno and Dana. She wasn't yet far enough along in her pregnancy to feel poorly, and she was doing her best to burn the midnight oil. When she heard someone approach, she looked up. "Oh, hey Jaras. Couldn't sleep?"

He shook his head. "No, I keep wondering about Dad."

"Yeah, I've been having the same problem." Angel looked at the remaining work on her desk and made a choice. "Hey, do you want to go have something? I'm starving."

Jaras was game for anything. "Let's go."

They walked together out of the base and to a nearby diner that was open all night. After being seated, Angel ordered both of them pieces of cheesecake. She'd been thinking about this particular dessert for the last several hours and opted to indulge herself.

The waitress brought them their plates and cups of tea. Angel dove right in, making a pleased sound with her first bite.

Jaras just watched his sister, amused that she was getting so much out of a food item. "Is it really that good?"

She met his gaze for a moment. "Yes, aren't you going to eat yours?"

He shrugged. "Honestly? I've never had this."

Angel's eyes went wide. She'd only been out of the lab for three days before Reno introduced her to the joy that was cheesecake. "That's unbelievable. You've got to try it."

Jaras gave her a small laugh and picked up his fork. He put a small bite in his mouth and looked thoughtful as he considered it. Then his eyes flashed with some expression, and one of his eyebrows rose. "Oh…you know, that is good, isn't it?"

"Yeah." Angel giggled to herself. "I ate this everyday the first time I was pregnant."

"What?" Jaras leaned forward, having caught her meaning. "You're going to have another?"

Angel smiled widely and nodded. "Yes, Reno and I are going to have a second baby. I found out yesterday. Besides Reno and Janice, you're the only one who knows for the moment."

"That's wonderful." Jaras managed a grin of his own. "But you know, if you're pregnant, you shouldn't be having this."

Angel smacked his hand as he attempted to pull her plate toward him. "Lesson one of living with a pregnant woman, Jaras, is never come between her and her food."

"I see," he said, shoveling another bite into his mouth. "I'll keep that in mind."

"So, is Jeanine doing all right?" Angel asked, before taking a sip of her tea.

"She's been very tired, actually. I'd say she's sleeping a good twelve hours a day right now." Jaras smiled at the thought of his wife.

"That's normal. I got pretty wiped out during the first three months of being pregnant with Dana. I'm guessing I'll do the same thing this time. Expect her to be a little moody, too. Being pregnant isn't all that fun." She had her piece half finished already.

"Jeanine is never moody, Angel. She's been perfect."

Angel pointed her fork at him. "She's never been pregnant before. Get ready, Brother, you're in for the ride of your life."

Jaras outright laughed at her.

------------------------------

Vincent made it back to the cave and took the saddle and bridle from the chocobo. He let these things fall to the ground, not intending to use them again. With the bird freed of all the trappings of domestication, Vincent decided it was time to get the animal to leave. He feared that if it stayed any longer, that Chaos would put Dirk on the menu.

The former Turk turned to walk into the cave, and to his dismay, the chocobo simply attempted to follow him. Vincent spun around and stroked the bird's chest a few times. "Go on, go do whatever it is that you guys do when free."

Dirk just made a quiet warbling sound but continued to stand before Vincent. It didn't understand the concept of freedom, having been born in captivity and raised by humans. Chocobos were social animals, and lived in flocks and Dirk had already decided that his flock consisted of Vincent.

Vincent forced himself to sound a little harsher. "Go on! Get out of here!"

Again, Dirk just trilled and lingered before him.

"Damn it!" He raised his voice and waved his arms. "Go! Get the fuck away! Do you want to be my next victim? Leave!"

Dirk took one step back, but didn't take Vincent's angry tone as serious. He, like most animals, put a lot more credit into body language than words, and although Vincent was yelling, the bird could see that he wasn't really mad.

Vincent sighed and hung his head. He'd gotten attached to the chocobo in the few days that they'd been together and wasn't that thrilled with the situation, but he knew that if he awoke to find that he'd turned into Chaos and had eaten Dirk, that he'd feel terrible. "Please, just go away."

Chocobos are stubborn. The bird would not leave.

Not willing to strike the animal in order to get him to run, Vincent gave up and went into the cave. He got to the task of lighting a fire and once that was done, he lay down beside it, realizing that it was going to be just as cold tonight as it had been the night before and this time, he had to suffer through it alone.

He'd been lying on the ground for a while when Dirk wandered over. Vincent found himself looking up as the eight-foot tall bird loomed over him. "You know, if you just gave me one good peck to the head you could end all of this, Dirk."

The bird raised the crest on the top of its head for a moment. Then it lowered its head so that its beak was right before Vincent's face, blasting him with its hot breath.

Vincent wondered for a moment if the bird was actually going to do it, but that notion instantly faded when the bird fluffed his body and then lay down directly beside him.

Dirk settled down into his spot and then extended his right wing, covering Vincent with it before tucking his head back in the typical bird-sleeping pose.

Vincent laughed a little to himself at the bird's actions. He had to admit that it was warm against the chocobo and opted not to move. "Goodnight, Dirk. I really hope I don't eat you."


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter Twenty Seven

The train came to a stop a little after nine in the morning. Amy had fallen asleep in her seat somewhere around three in the morning. Cid had hung on a little longer, as he'd gone and locked himself into the bathroom as another horrible bout of coughing had come over him. He ended up collapsing on the bathroom floor and passing out, finally regaining the ability to breathe and function again after about an hour. The pilot had then slogged back to his own seat and had fallen into a cough-riddled sleep. When the train quit moving and he was jostled awake, he felt worse than he ever had.

Amy opened her eyes and looked over at him, seeing that he looked like hell. "Mr. Highwind? Are you all right?"

Cid struggled up from his seat and threw his pack over his shoulder again. "Yeah, I'm okay."

She could tell that he was lying, but knew better than to question a man like him about his physical well being. Amy followed him off of the train and out of the station. Although the walk to the ASRIO base would have only taken about half an hour from where they were, Amy knew enough to realize that Cid wasn't up for it. She hailed a cab and they made the short ride to the airfield in silence.

Once there, they walked to the control tower. Amy pulled her key from her pocket and slipped it into the lock. They went down together, until they had to part ways. Amy intended to head for the control room, which was in the opposite direction from where Cid needed to go. She extended her hand to him. "I enjoyed getting to know you, Mr. Highwind. I hope we can talk again before either you or I leave here."

Cid gave her a warm smile and accepted her hand. "Yeah, you, too."

He watched her go for a moment, before turning to the private quarters. Cid hoped that he remembered where everyone's room was at, and he sure as hell hoped they were all in the same rooms as before.

The pilot stopped in front of a door and knocked.

Jaras opened it, confused for a moment at seeing Cid there. "Wh…where did you come from? You're alive?"

After stifling a cough, Cid nodded. "Yeah, I'm still around. Hey, is Tifa still across the hall?" he asked, pointing to the door directly behind him.

Jaras' eyes narrowed. He wasn't all that sure that he liked the idea of Cid being near Tifa again. "Yes, she is, along with the children."

"Okay, uh, can you do me a huge favor?" Cid scratched the back of his head, feeling the tension that was coming from the man before him.

His jaw tensed, as he felt a little of the Sephiroth side of him stir. "Perhaps."

"I just want to see her for a sec, to let her know I'm okay before heading off to the infirmary, but I know Aaron would have a hard time knowing that I was around." He stopped for a moment and shrugged. "I guess what I'm hopin' is that you'll go in there for a little and keep Aaron occupied. Then have her come out here so I can just say hi."

Jaras stood a little taller and considered the situation. "And you're sure that it's just to say 'hi'?"

Cid huffed and rolled his eyes. "Damn it, come on, guy. I just wanna let her know that I'm alive, okay? She was pretty freaked out the other day."

"I know she was, I sat there and held her for several hours while she cried, thinking first that you'd committed suicide, and then that my father had killed you." Jaras eyes dilated slightly. "Speaking of which, where were you? Where _is_ my father?"

The pilot met Jaras' eyes, seeing the very thing in them that had made him fear Vincent on several occasions over the years. "I don't know where he is, okay?"

"Well, where were you at the time you saw him?" Jaras asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Look, Jaras, he took off shortly after I ran into him, okay? I don't know where in the hell he went. All I want is to go let Tifa know that I'm all right. If you want to question me afterward and kick my ass, then fine, but right now, the best I can do is to at least get Tifa to quit worrin' about me." Cid puffed up a bit as he said this, trying to seem a little more intimidating, even though Jaras towered far over him. "And I'm gonna need a phone so I can call my wife and let her know that I'm all right, too."

Jaras quickly pulled his cell phone from his pocket. "Why don't we just call your wife first?"

Cid realized what he was doing, and took the phone, quickly dialing.

------------------------------

Jin was asleep in a kitchen chair, slumped over the table. She hadn't slept at all the night that Cid had spent with Vincent in her sorrowed state. Having believed Cid dead, Jin hadn't functioned at all the day before, just sitting around the house crying and feeling sick to her stomach. L.C. had spent the last two nights at the neighbor's house. Jin had simply told them that Cid was out of town and that she was terribly ill, and that she didn't want L.C. exposed to whatever she had.

When the phone rang, she slowly lifted her head from the table and looked over where it was sitting on the kitchen counter. She sighed heavily and forced herself over to answer. "Yeah?"

Cid heard the exhaustion and mournfulness in her voice. Instantly, he felt like the worst person in the world for having brought her to this. "Jin, I hope to God that you can forgive me for scaring you."

Jin couldn't believe that it was him. She slid down the cabinets and sat on the floor, feeling her body shaking. "C…Cid? Is that really you?"

"Yeah, it's me. Jin, I'm sorry. I was going to do it, but then I got to thinking about how I couldn't wreck the plane since L.C. needed it and so I landed. I would've called you sooner, but I was out in the middle of fucking no where." Cid turned away from Jaras, but knew that the other man was staring at him, listening to his conversation. "I'd run out of fuel and it took me a while to get back to civilization. I came to ASRIO. I was told that they have something that could help me."

Jin felt a sudden spike of doubt. "You're at ASRIO? Tifa's there, isn't she?"

"She is, but I haven't seen her, I just got here. Just in case you're thinkin' that I just ran off to see her or something, I didn't. Jaras is right here, if you want to ask him." Cid looked over his shoulder at the man in question.

Jaras just cocked an eyebrow.

Jin felt tears in her eyes, even though she'd believed herself incapable of crying anymore. "No…Cid, I want to see you!"

"I want you here, too." Cid leaned back against the wall in the corridor.

"Okay, I'm going to go get L.C. and we'll get on the next airship out of town." Jin managed back up to her feet, feeling like she was in a dream and that she was going to wake at any moment, back into a world where Cid was dead.

"Sounds good. Jin?" He closed his eyes for a moment, shutting out the rest of the world.

"Yeah?" She did much the same.

"Can you ever forgive me for this?" he asked, his voice unusually quiet and serious.

"Yes, I love you, Cid." Jin couldn't help but wonder. "How are they going to help you?"

"We'll talk about it when you get here, okay?" Cid didn't want to drop the seemingly unbelievable possibility of a cure on her over the phone. "And I love you, too."

"I'm going to go so I can get out of here. I just want to be with you again, Cid." For the first time in a day and a half, Jin smiled. "Bye."

"All right, I'll see you when you get here. Goodbye." Cid turned off the phone and came back over to Jaras, handing it over.

Jaras looked at Cid and considered his expression carefully. The pilot was smiling, with more color in his cheeks than had been there before. He had the look of a man that had just spoken with someone he loved. Jaras took back his phone and put it in his pocket before stepping from his doorway. "All right, you wait here, I'll get her."

"Thanks." Cid gave him a quick smile and remained in his spot as Jaras knocked on Tifa's door.

She opened it and looked up at Jaras. "Hey, what's up?"

He cocked an eyebrow again. "I'm going to come in and talk with my little brother for a moment, and you're going to wait in the hall."

The complete lack of humor in his tone and face scared her a little, and she figured that she needed to comply. "Okay, Charlotte's sleeping on the bed, keep an eye on her."

Jaras gave her a quick nod and then pushed past her, going over and sitting next to his younger brother on the couch.

Tifa looked over at Jaras for a moment until he raised his hand and pointed at the door, indicating that she needed to step out. She sighed and walked out the door and right into Cid's arms.

Tifa squealed as she was pulled against him, not sure what was going on. Intrinsically, she knew it was Cid, but how this was possible was beyond her. "Cid? Oh my God!"

He closed his eyes as she put her arms around him in return. "I'm sorry you were scared."

Her frustration over the situation came up and she slammed one of her fists against his chest while she cried into his jacket. "God damn you! We were terrified! I thought that Vincent…" She looked up at him, looking hopeful. "Cid? Is Vincent here?"

Cid stroked her hair and shook his head. "No, just me."

"Oh…" She placed her head against his chest again. "Where is he?"

He closed his eyes, not happy with having to lie to her. "I don't know. He helped me get to where I could come here, and then he disappeared."

Tifa took a step back from him, knitting her brow. "He…he helped you?"

Cid honestly smiled. "Yeah, he probably saved my life, actually. I wouldn't have made it here without him, Tiff. He told me to tell you that he loved you."

She was silent for a moment as tears danced in her eyes. "Where did you last see him? Maybe he's still there!"

"No, he's long gone by now." He wiped away one of the tears that trailed down her cheek. The fact that he could confess the truth and get someone to Vincent before he died was paining him deeply. Yet, Cid had made Vincent a promise, and since he'd already betrayed Vincent once he couldn't do it again, even if it was for this. "Don't worry about it, Tiff. He'll…he'll be okay."

Although she was ecstatic that her best friend had survived and come back to her, it was eclipsed by her continued misery of Vincent's absence. "I love him, Cid. I don't know what I'm supposed to do."

Cid dropped his gaze to the floor, torn up over his oath to Vincent. "I don't know either, Tifa, and I sure as hell wish that I did. I really do."

Tifa remained before him in silence for a moment, at a loss for words. Finally, she asked, "Do you want to go see Quigley and Porter?"

He gave her a smile. "Yeah, let's go do that."

Instinctively, Tifa reached for his hand but stopped herself. "I guess we shouldn't do that."

The pilot didn't really see a problem with something as innocent as hand holding. "We did it for fourteen years when we were together, Tiff. I don't think that it was the source of our troubles."

She gave him a smile. "Yeah, but do you think Jin would have a problem with it?"

This was something he didn't have to think over long. "Yeah, she'd kick both our butts for it."

"Then we can't." Tifa reached out and tugged on the sleeve of his jacket playfully. "Let me tell Jaras that I'll be back in a moment. I'm guessing you sent him in to keep Aaron from knowing you were here, right?"

Cid raised his eyebrows. "The kid doesn't like me, Tiff. Besides, I think I'm the last person he wants to see right now. I'm guessing it'll be better if the fact I'm here wasn't thrown in his face."

Tifa understood. Aaron wasn't well for the pilot at the moment. "Okay, stay here. I'll be right back."

A short while later, Tifa led Cid into the lab, where Porter and Quigley were already busy at work. When they saw the pilot, they dropped what they were doing and came over.

Quigley was the first one to speak up. "How in the world are you here?"

"Took the train," Cid replied without much humor.

Porter snickered at the reply. "I think he meant to say that we're a little shocked to see you."

Cid just shrugged. His embarrassment over failing in his suicide attempt as well as the knowledge that he'd profoundly upset all of those that cared for him was coming up.

"Well, in any event," Quigley motioned over to where the laptop stolen from the lab was sitting, linked up to his own computer, "it's all on there. The cure for what ails you, Mr. Highwind."

The pilot walked over to the computer and squinted at the screen. All the writing upon it was in medical jargon and meant nothing to him. "If that's what you say, sure."

"It's actually really interesting stuff." Quigley went over and landed in the chair sitting before the computer, forcing Cid to step back. He hit a few keys and a picture of a DNA helix came up. "The drug they came up with for this is pretty amazing. It binds to the defective area in the genetic sequence that causes the cells to go out of control. Once that's done, those cells no longer keep dividing like mad and they start acting like normal cells again. Of course, the masses are still present, but they're no longer malignant, which means they can be surgically removed and there's no regrowth. Otherwise, they can be left alone and eventually, according to the research, they'll just sort of go away on their own as the body rights itself."

Cid thought he understood more or less. "So, you give me this stuff and then possibly cut me open to get out whatever grew in me?"

"Well, unfortunately, when it comes to the lungs, they tend to get really infiltrated with the cancer, so generally the removal of anything involves taking entire sections of the lungs with it. You won't feel good for a long time, and you'll still cough, but over the course of several months, your condition will just sort of regress until you're fine." Quigley hit a few more keys, making the chemical formulation for the drug come up on the screen.

Cid was a little disappointed to hear this. Somehow, he'd hoped that the cure would be something quick. This wasn't shaping up to be fast at all, and still suffering with the coughing for some time to come didn't thrill him. "Oh."

"I know, it's not a quick fix, but you'll live," Porter said as he came up behind the pilot.

"So, when can you give me this stuff?" he asked, leaning over Quigley to get a better look at the pictures playing across the screen.

Quigley shrugged. "I've got the compounding machine working on it right now, but it's an extraordinarily complex chemical, so it's going to take a few more days."

Cid sighed heavily and turned toward Tifa, shaking his head. "I've been getting really bad these last few days. There've been a couple of times when I felt like I was dyin' already."

Seeing the pain in his expression, she went over and put her arms around him. "It's just a few more days, Cid. Let's take you to the infirmary and see what Janice can do to keep you comfortable until they get it ready."

Resigning to his illness, the pilot nodded and agreed. Sitting in a hospital bed was the last thing that he wanted to do, but his attacks after meeting Vincent and on the train the night before had scared him horribly. Cid had truly thought he wasn't going to survive those. "Okay."

------------------------------

Angel was once more slumped over her desk, staring at all of the reports spread out before her. How Reno could have managed to get through all of this crap on a daily basis and still have time to screw around online or gaming was beyond her. Then again, she figured he probably just blew a lot of this stuff off.

She was startled when someone slammed another paper down onto her desk. Angel looked up at whoever was standing there with their hand upon the sheet. It was Reno. "Oh, hey."

He gave her a wicked smile. "Read it and fuckin' weep, Babe."

Angel pulled the paper from beneath his hand and held it up. It was from the doctor he had been sent to the day before.

_After extensive testing of Reno Sparks, I hearby certify him to be of sound mind. His cognitive abilities, while unconventional, are exceptional and aside from a small issue with word recognition, I find him to be mentally able to return to whatever position he held before his injury._

Injuries to the front part of the brain can cause personality changes, and this may account for his presently easily agitated and confrontational tendencies. These should be monitored.

Signed,

Dr. Flemming

Angel laughed hysterically. "He said you're easily agitated and confrontational! Holy crap, his evaluation hit it dead on, except you were always like that."

"Oh, ha ha." Reno crossed his arms over his chest. "The guy was a grade A prick. But he said I was just fine."

"Other than your personality disorder, he did." She shook her head. "Being hard to get along with isn't really the sort of quality we're looking for in an ASRIO leader."

He honestly became annoyed that she wasn't praising him for having earned the comment of possessing exceptional cognitive abilities. "You don't even care that he said I was smart."

Seeing his pout, Angel stood up. "I don't need him to tell me that, Reno, I've known it for years."

His face brightened at this. "That's better. You're gonna hurt my self-esteem unless you say stuff like that more often."

"Oh Reno," she sighed, looking down at the messy desktop before her. "So, you want this job back now?"

The former Turk gave her a smile. "Actually, I was thinkin' that we could go perform a little base inspection together first."

"And what exactly would we be inspecting?" Angel dared to ask.

He brought his cane up off the floor and rested it back against his right shoulder, mocking his old pose with his night staff. "Our old room and each other. See if I'm really fit to return to duty in all ways or not."

Up until now, Reno hadn't tried to have sex with her since getting shot. She figured that she needed to indulge him as he attempted to get back into the proverbial saddle. Angel came around the desk and took his hand. "Well then, Sir, I believe we have an inspection to conduct."

Reno's smile widened and he put the tip of his tongue between his front teeth, in his devilish expression. "That's right, I'm gonna show you who's boss around here. No one takes away my job. Like Tseng said, fuck the rules."

Angel cocked an eyebrow at him. "When did he ever say that? He wasn't one for cursing, Reno."

"Sure he did, for dramatic effect." He started to lead her out of the control room. "Did it all the fuckin' time."

------------------------------

Quigley decided to leave the lab and head back to his room for a while, since his arm was bothering him. He'd been allowed out of the sling a few days before and he'd started using it again, but his injury still hurt him and right now the researcher just wanted some of the pain medication that Janice had given him.

As he shuffled down the hall in his usual manner, he passed someone else but he didn't look at them, since he was mired in his misery.

The person he passed stopped behind him and cleared their throat.

Quigley perked to attention and turned back, seeing whom it was. "Oh, hey! When did you get here?"

Amy gave him a brief smile. "This morning."

The researcher walked up to Amy and embraced her for a few seconds, before stepping back. "God, I haven't seen you in what? Three years?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I've been in Junon this whole time."

"Yeah, uh, I heard what happened there before you left, and I'm really sorry you had to go through all of that," Quigley said quietly, looking into her eyes.

Amy nodded weakly. "Yeah, it was pretty rough."

He saw that he needed to change the subject, but there was only one place for the conversation to go. Quigley dropped his gaze to the ground, suddenly feeling a little self-conscious. "Hey, I'm sorry I didn't call you."

"Don't worry about it. We only went on that one date and nothing happened." She forced her smile to linger. Amy had gotten a crush on the researcher during her stay in the base several years back. Although they'd spoken many times, she hadn't gotten up the nerve to ask him out until three days before she was sent to begin working in Junon. Their date had gone well, but Quigley had been too shy to even give her a good night kiss, and then she hadn't seen him again before she left. That had hurt her feelings considerably, but enough time had passed that she'd gotten over it. "It's okay."

He didn't seem particularly comforted by her reply. "No, really, I've felt bad about it for a long time. I liked you a lot, and I was afraid that after being such a failure during our date that you wouldn't really want anything to do with me."

"What do you mean failure on our date? It was great, Quig." Her smile once more turned sincere.

His eyes went wide. "Really? I felt like I kept saying the stupidest things all night and then when I walked you back to your room, I wanted to give you a kiss but I figured that…never mind, I'm just rambling."

Amy was quickly remembering what it was that she'd seen in the introverted man. "You figured what? You can't just start a statement like that and then leave it hanging."

Embarrassed, Quigley flushed bright red. "Well, uh, it's just that…you're a far prettier than any of the other women I've ever gone out with, and I felt like you were _way_ out of my league. I mean, look at me."

Amy blushed in return. She wasn't used to such comments on her appearance. "You really thought that?"

Quigley produced an awkward shrug and dropped his gaze to the ground. "Yeah, and you've gotten even…more…oh man…"

She giggled and reached out, shoving him playfully. "You're just being nice."

If nothing else, Quigley never lied and he met her gaze again. "No, it's the truth."

"I'm guessing you're probably seeing someone now though, right?" Amy asked, figuring that a guy like him surely would have a girlfriend. He was far too nice to still be on the market.

If it was possible, Quigley turned even redder. "No, actually, I'm not. I haven't had a real girlfriend in ages."

Amy looked into his puppy dog eyes and smiled. "Well, uh, is there any chance you'd want to maybe try a second date?"

Quigley's heart raced and he had to consciously keep from hyperventilating. "Yeah, absolutely."

"Okay." Her excitement over this was infectious. "Are you still in the same room?"

He just simply nodded.

"All right. I can come by at seven, if that's okay?"

Once more, he nodded.

Amy stepped right up to him and gave him a quick kiss. "I'll see you then."

It wasn't until she'd walked a considerable distance down the hall that he managed to reply. "Okay."

Quigley quickly realized that he'd hidden his injured arm behind his back for the duration of their conversation and he laughed at himself for doing so.

------------------------------

Cid sat upon a bed in the infirmary with his shirt off and Tifa standing at his side. Dr. Arlin was reading over the copy of his medical record that had been faxed to her by Cid's doctor in Rocket. After reviewing the chart, she set it down and took out her stethoscope and placed it against his chest, listening as he took several breaths for her.

Several minutes passed as Janice listened to him before she stuffed her stethoscope back in her pocket. She then took his other vitals before going over and making her own notes on his record.

The pilot waited for some sort of answer from Dr. Arlin, and grew impatient with her continued silence. "Well?"

Janice sighed and crossed her arms over her chest. "Honestly? You sound terrible and from examining you, I'm fairly confident that you've developed a case of pneumonia on top of everything else. You're a very sick man, Cid."

"Tell me something I don't know," he shot back, disliking the whole situation.

"I'm going to put you on oxygen and get an I.V. started so I can begin administering some antibiotics to you. If we don't, pneumonia will kill you before the cancer does."

"That's just fucking great, Doc." Cid rolled his eyes and settled back into the pillows. "They have a cure for my cancer and I die of pneumonia."

"Well, I intend to do everything in my power to prevent that from happening." Janice reached over and grabbed his hand for a moment. "We're going to get you through this."

Cid nodded and looked at Tifa, the fear of suffering obvious in his eyes. "Okay."

------------------------------

Vincent realized that he was freezing. He opened his eyes to find himself outside of the cave, lying in the snow. Instantly, he knew that Chaos had taken him over after he'd fallen asleep last night and he sat up, seeing that he was unclothed. The fact that no remnants of his outfit were upon him made him at least hopeful that the demon had possessed the foresight to strip him down before taking over his body, lest he die of exposure after giving up control.

As Vincent got his bearings, he saw bloodstains in the snow around him, as well as several yellow feathers. He scrambled to his knees and picked up one of the plumes, immediately knowing that he'd hurt Dirk. "Oh no…"

He got to his feet, his anguish over his chocobo for the moment blocking out the fact that he was hypothermic from being unclothed and in the snow. Vincent looked around for a carcass, but didn't see one. Surely if Chaos had killed the bird to eat it there would be remains somewhere. Yet, Vincent still felt hungry, so he figured that Dirk had probably been injured and run away.

He steeled himself beyond crying, but it wasn't all that easy in his present starved and emotional state. Vincent made his way back to the cave, and saw a sight that confused him.

Dirk was within, sitting next to the remains of the fire with all of Vincent's clothes rolled up together and tucked under his wing. When he saw Vincent, the crest on the top of his head raised and he made an excited warbling sound.

Vincent slowly approached the bird, wondering if he'd be terrified of him after whatever had taken place the night before.

The chocobo didn't seem particularly phased by the man's approach and remained in place.

Once he got up directly beside the bird, he extended his hand and stroked the top of its head. "You're not scared?"

Dirk blinked back at him and then moved his head to the side, training his eye upon Vincent's chest.

Vincent followed the bird's stare and saw three distinct claw marks across his chest, and he realized that it was a typical wound from a chocobo kicking. "Oh crap, that was my blood out there?" He examined the bird for a moment, finding it to be uninjured.

Dirk reached down beneath his wing and grabbed Vincent's clothes in his beak, picking them up and then holding them out toward him.

He accepted his outfit, grateful that it was warm from being held by the bird and he hastily dressed, finally realizing how cold he was. "Thanks."

Dirk just watched him dress, not seeming all that impressed with the situation.

The night before, they had fallen asleep and at some point, Chaos had managed to gain control over Vincent.

Chaos had gotten up and silently shed Vincent's clothing before heading out of the cave prior to transforming, figuring that the chocobo would be cornered inside and easy enough to kill. Once he had Vincent's body completely changed, the demon had tried to go back in, but had been met with a rude surprise.

Dirk, having accepted Vincent as his flock mate, had decided that the cave was their den and his territorial instincts had arisen when the monster had intruded. Since Chaos neither looked nor smelled like Vincent in any way, Dirk had reacted as he would have to any stranger that tried to get into the cave without Vincent's consent. He'd charged the demon and while Chaos was tough, chocobos are formidable animals armed with deadly beaks and vicious kicks.

The demon had attempted to strike the bird down, but had done no more than ended up with a handful of feathers. Dirk in turn had spun around and kicked Chaos in the center of the chest as hard as he could, throwing the demon backward and down the small incline that led up to the cave's entrance.

Not able to hold on to Vincent's body any longer thanks to his starved state, Chaos had given up and let Vincent have his own body back.

Dirk, in the meanwhile, didn't understand what had happened to Vincent and not being overly intelligent, he'd pushed together the clothes and acted as though they were a part of his master by guarding them the rest of the night.

Vincent, of course, was completely unaware of what had happened, aside from the fact that he'd been kicked at some point. He didn't understand why Dirk wasn't scared or trying to run away from him, but the bird wasn't.

Chaos, in the meantime, was simply too exhausted to comment on the situation at all.

It had now been six days since Vincent had eaten. He found that the simple act of getting dressed had made him tired, and he sat down beside the chocobo and leaned back against it. For Vincent, time was running thin.

------------------------------

Tifa returned to her room once Cid had been delivered to the infirmary and put on oxygen. She felt bad for leaving his side, but since she had her children to tend to, there wasn't much of a choice.

Upon entering her room, Tifa spotted Jaras pacing with Charlotte in his arms. The baby was fussing, and he was doing his best to calm her, but he wasn't having much luck. She came over and claimed her daughter, causing Jaras to quickly look relieved.

"I don't know how I'm going to do that," he said quietly as he went over and sat back down next to Aaron.

"It's different when it's your own baby, Jaras." Tifa sat down on the edge of the bed, the baby soon falling asleep in her arms.

He shook his head. "I don't know, I worry what sort of father I'm going to be. Jeanine thinks that I'll do fine, but…"

"Well, from how you've interacted with Aaron all of his life, I agree with her." She smiled over at him. "I told you that the other day."

Jaras just shrugged and then turned his attention to Aaron as he continued to play with his new video game.

------------------------------

Reno went to the infirmary having gotten word that Cid was there. Having just partaken in an escapade with Angel, he was feeling more like his old cocky self, and it reflected in the way he carried himself.

He threw open the door to the infirmary and strolled in, spotting the pilot lying propped up in one of the beds. Reno went over to him and turned a nearby chair around backward before straddling it and sitting. The former Turk stared at Cid for a few minutes not saying anything.

Cid was just there, with oxygen cannulas beneath his nose. Even with this help, he was clearly having trouble breathing and overall, he simply looked miserable.

The pilot, in turn examined Reno, not having seen him since he'd been shot by Vincent. While his injury was for the most part concealed by the way he now kept his hair, the eye patch was still obvious and Cid felt bad for him. "Sue really did a number on you, huh?"

Reno frowned for a moment. "Yeah, fuckin' Vinny."

"You're feeling okay, though?" Cid asked.

"It hurts, but hey, my family still loves me so who gives a rat's ass, right?" The ASRIO leader smiled.

"Well, you seem to be handling it pretty damn well." Cid was prevented from saying anything further for a few minutes as he had a small coughing fit.

Reno waited for Cid to get himself back together, looking away until the pilot had quieted down. Then he turned his stare to Cid. "Okay, I know you were with Vincent day before yesterday, and I need you to tell me where that was."

Cid shook his head. "He wouldn't be there anymore."

"I don't care, tell me where it was so I at least have a starting point." Reno locked gazes with Cid, needing him to know how important this was.

"God damn it, Reno, I'd tell you, but I made a fucking promise to the guy and I'm not going to betray him again. I owe him my life." He crossed his arms over his chest.

"Yeah, well I made a promise to a certain little woman and her two kids." Reno leaned forward further. "I'd say my promise outvotes yours."

"Look, I don't want Tifa hurt any more than she already has been, but damn it…" Cid had to catch his breath. "Vincent had his reasons. He doesn't want to hurt anyone."

"Well, what in the hell do you think he's doing by hiding from them? Because from what I've seen, they ain't exactly having the times of their lives. Angel, Jaras, Tifa, Aaron, and that baby all need him. I need to put that family back together so that just maybe his two little kids can have a chance at a normal life." His lone eye narrowed, showing the desperation behind his words.

The pilot tensed his jaw several times before saying anything. "I told him I wouldn't tell anyone where he was, but…I didn't say anything to him about telling anyone where he _wasn't_."

Reno smiled. "Okay, so we'll play twenty questions."

Cid nodded. "Sure."

"All right." Reno thought for a moment. "You got here on a train, so he's not on another continent, right?"

"Yeah."

The former Turk looked pleased. "Okay. So, North or South?"

"He ain't North."

"So he's in the South. City of the Ancients?" Reno asked.

"No, he ain't there. He's not in a city at all."

Reno wracked his brain. Geography wasn't his strongest skill. "That probably rules out Cosmo, Gongaga, and the Golden Saucer, right?"

Cid nodded.

"That pretty much just leaves the mountains."

"I only said I'd say where he wasn't."

Reno raised his eyebrow. "So, he's in the mountains. That's a lot of turf to cover."

"Actually, the mountains sort of surround it." Cid didn't feel like he'd overstepped the line with this. "And he ain't in the water by the place he's at, either."

Reno shot back up to his feet. "Oh fuck, he's in that cave, isn't he?"

"Like I said, I'd only tell you where he wasn't." Cid gave him a wink.

"Man, I could kiss you right now." Reno was ecstatic.

Cid raised his hands before him. "You don't even want to go there with me right now. I'd just knock your ass out."

"Yeah, all right I'll try to hold myself back." Reno started toward the infirmary door. "Thanks, old man."

The pilot would have argued being called this, but at the moment, that's pretty much how he felt. "No problem, Reno. Get Sunshine home to Tifa."

"I'll do my fuckin' best." Reno exited the room, leaving Cid alone with his thoughts.


	28. Chapter 28

Hey guys, I've managed to actually crank out a chapter even though I've been in Denver on vacation this week! Ack! It's Rich's dad's retirement get together. He was a pilot for United for 16 years. Way to go, Richard! (Rich's dad's name is Richard, go figure)

Chapter Twenty Eight

Armed with the knowledge of Vincent's location, Reno figured that he needed to act. He went up to the control room, sat at his desk and made a call.

"Yeah?" came the voice from the other end.

"Hey, Brad, I need a favor." Reno leaned back in his chair and put his feet upon his desk.

"Did you ask Angel?" Brad shot back, not aware of the fact that Reno had been restored to his old position.

"No, and I don't need to, I'm running the show again. Got the all clear to do so this morning." Reno smiled, proud of himself. "So, how about that favor?"

Feeling sorry for Reno, Brad decided to indulge him. "What is it?"

"Well, I need you to take me somewhere quick, and I don't want you sayin' anything to anybody about it, just in case things don't go well." He had his cane resting across his legs, and he was scanning the room to make sure that no one was listening in.

The chopper pilot looked over his shoulder back at his old bird. "Yeah, she's up to it, I guess."

"Thanks, I'll see you in a few." Reno hung up and rose from his seat.

He made his way to the lab and went in, finding its two constant residents within. "Hey guys?"

Quigley and Porter came over to him, abandoning the read out from the compounding machine they'd been studying.

"What's going on, Reno?" Porter asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I've got some news. I got a pass from a doctor up topside and I've been put back in charge of this operation." Reno smiled.

"What?" Porter's eyes went wide. "But the rules…"

The ASRIO leader scoffed. "Yeah, well, we decided to change them. Angel wasn't really wanting the job, and I wasn't ready for retirement yet."

Porter dropped his gaze away and his shoulders slumped. With his promotion had come a considerable pay raise, and he had already begun planning on buying Rayna and himself a house in town. "Oh…"

Reno knew what was on his mind. "Don't freak out, Port. You're still second."

He looked up, seeming confused. "I am?"

"Yeah." Reno met his gaze. "Angel is sorta taking a hiatus."

"Why?" Porter asked.

Reno's grin returned. "Because I got her knocked up again."

"That's great!" Quigley laughed. "When did that happen?"

Not able to help himself, Reno reached out and mussed the researcher's hair. "Quiggers, some of us get laid once in a while and I'm guessing it was one of those times."

Quigley pulled himself out of Reno's reach, not entirely fond of the way the former Turk tended to handle him. "That's not all you came here for, is it?"

"Well, I need some of that stuff that you've been giving Aaron, but the kind that actually works on Vinny." He sat down in a chair, still weak despite his progress.

"Why?" Quigley openly wondered.

Reno shrugged. "I'm gonna go and get him, and I think I should have some of that stuff in case he'll let me give it to him."

The two men were silent for a moment, and then Porter spoke up. "You…you know where he is?"

He nodded in response. "Don't tell anyone. Brad's takin' me there in a little while, but I don't want it made public knowledge, just in case it doesn't work out or he's not there or whatever. So, I figured I'd want to take along some of that stuff."

"Do you know how to give an injection?" Quigley had already retrieved the vial of the Chaos-specific drug from a cabinet.

Instantly, Reno turned red and looked away. "Yeah, I do."

Again, both men went silent, awaiting an explanation.

Seeing that they were in need of an answer, Reno confessed. "I used to do some drugs back in the day, all right? I know how to hit a vein."

They took this news in stride. Reno had come from a dicey background and this wasn't that big of a surprise.

Quigley drew up the appropriate amount of the chemical into a syringe and handed it to Reno. "Okay, that should do it. Don't get it outside of the vein if he lets you give it to him because it causes some pretty serious necrosis and sloughing if you do."

Reno narrowed his eye. "If I knew what in the hell you'd just said… Whatever, don't worry. I know what I'm doin'. Remember, don't fuckin' tell anyone, all right?"

Quigley nodded and offered a smile. "No problem."

Porter, however, still looked like he had his reservations. "Reno, are you sure you want to go do this alone?"

He managed up from his seat and tapped the end of his cane on the floor. "Sure, if I had any doubt, I wouldn't be going at all."

This didn't seem to comfort Porter in the least. "I think I should go with you."

"No," Reno raised a hand, "that ain't gonna happen. I need to talk to Vinny alone and besides, if things do go badly, we can't risk having both me and you taken out."

Porter knew that there was no point in arguing with the man and relented. He still wasn't trusting of Vincent in light of all that had happened, and he truly was concerned for Reno's well being. "Call if there's a problem, at least."

Reno gave him a smile and headed for the door. "I will."

He got up to the airfield and made the walk to the hangers, spotting the helicopter sitting between some of the buildings. Brad was leaning against the side of the machine, arms crossed over his chest.

Reno offered him a smile as he neared, but it was forced and when he was just a few steps away, he fell to his knees, having lost all of his strength.

Brad went to his side and placed his arm around Reno, helping him back up. "Are you okay?"

A little embarrassed, Reno tried to shrug it off. "Yeah, I'm fine, just a little tired. It's farther out to here than I remembered."

"Look guy, I don't think you're up to this," Brad said honestly.

"I don't have a fuckin' choice, Brad." Reno pulled himself away from the pilot. "I've got to go do this. I've got a feeling that Vinny's not gonna be around much longer."

Brad crossed his arms again and scowled. "Then I ain't gonna take you."

Reno tensed his jaw, despite the pain that act sent shooting through the right side of his head. "Yes, you are. I'm your boss, you'll do what I say."

"I'm not taking you to go do something that you're not up to doing, Reno." Brad leaned back against the machine.

The ASRIO leader swallowed the last of his pride and met the pilot's gaze. "I don't think he's going to be any sort of threat, Brad. He's holed up in that cave in the mountains, probably with the intent of just disappearing from the face of the earth. The guy's got two little kids that need a dad, and I'm going to bring him home to them. Now, please, I'm begging, take me where I need to go."

If Brad hadn't known better, he would have thought that Reno was on the verge of tears. "All right, but the second I think things are in danger of turning bad, I'm draggin' you out of there and we're coming home, Vincent be damned."

It was at that moment that Reno realized how much everyone actually cared about him. Porter and Brad weren't giving him a hard time for any other reason than their concern for him. They were still angry with Vincent for shooting him in the first place and they were afraid that he could hurt Reno again.

Reno was touched by this, but saving Vincent was just as important to him as anything else and he wouldn't be deterred from his mission. "Let's just go."

Brad relented and turned, opening the door on the side of the chopper before helping Reno in. Taking Reno anywhere in his present state went against every fiber of his being.

---------------------------

Jaras had left Tifa's room and had gone back to his own, leaving Tifa alone with Aaron and Charlotte. She sat watching television for a while, as Aaron played his game in silence.

Finally, Aaron set his game down and looked over at his mother. "He's here, isn't he?"

Tifa, having been absorbed in what she was watching, didn't catch on right away. "What's that?"

"Cid."

Her eyes went wide. She wasn't going to lie to him, Tifa knew better than that, but she was curious how he knew of Cid's presence when Jaras had taken steps to see to it that the boy didn't find out. "How do you know?"

Aaron cocked an eyebrow. "Because I can smell him, Mom. You were with him and must have touched him, because his stink is all over you."

Tifa was speechless for a moment. Aaron's powers of observation had always been above and beyond, but this was a little much. His tone had given away the fact that he wasn't happy with the situation, either. "Yeah, he's here."

The boy narrowed his eyes and ran a hand through his hair, mocking his father's mannerisms. "Well isn't that great?"

"Sweetie, he had to come here, he's sick."

"I thought he was on a mission to either smack himself into a mountain in his plane or have Dad rip him apart," Aaron growled back, his right hand gripping the arm of the couch tightly.

That the boy had picked up on absolutely everything that had been going on didn't surprise her at all, but he was talking to her in a tone that she didn't appreciate-- the one he'd clearly learned from Vincent. "Well, that didn't happen, and he's here now to be helped for his illness. Now, stop talking to me like that and be nice. Nothing, Aaron, _nothing_ is going to happen between he and I just because he's here."

"Right," Aaron scoffed back, looking away from her.

Tifa lost her temper and set the baby down on the couch before getting up and going over to where he was sitting on the edge of the bed. She crossed her arms over her chest and glared down at him. "Keep it up, Aaron, and just see how much trouble you get in!"

The boy laughed a little. "What in the hell are you going to do to me, Mom? Take away my things? Well, here, this game is all I've got since we're not at home. Are you going to forbid me from seeing my friends? Again, we're not at home and I don't have any friends here except for my brother, and it's a fair bet that you won't keep Jaras away from me. You don't have a damn thing to hold over me right now, Mom."

Tifa reached down and grabbed the collar of his shirt, jerking him up to his feet. "You miserable little brat! Don't talk to me like that!"

Aaron just gave her a wicked smile. The boy would not be broken.

Tifa realized that she was on the verge of striking her son and she let go of him. She hadn't been above spanking over the years, but what she was feeling now was an overwhelming urge to absolutely beat the boy senseless. Knowing that she needed to separate herself from him for the time being, Tifa went over, picked up Charlotte and then left the room. She stormed across the hall and knocked on Jaras' door.

He quickly answered. "Tifa?"

"Jaras…I need to come in."

"Sure," he said, stepping aside so that she could pass. It was obvious that she was profoundly upset. Jaras closed the door.

Tifa went in and sat on the couch next to Jeanine. "You guys, I don't know what to do."

"What's going on?" Jeanine asked.

"It's Aaron." She sighed heavily. "He figured out that Cid's here and he started giving me a hard time about it. I snapped and almost hurt him…"

Jeanine put her arm around Tifa's shoulders as the other woman started crying. "You did the right thing by getting away from him, Tifa."

"It's just…he's started to talk to me like Vincent used to when we'd fight, and it was more than I could take." Tifa stared down at the baby in her arms.

"He's probably trying to become his father on some level, since he's been gone. And like it or not, the whole situation between Cid and yourself has hurt him and it's normal for him to lash out about it," Jeanine said quietly.

Tifa nodded, knowing that her words were true. "That was the first time I've ever been to that point, though, and it scared me, Jeanine. What if I'd actually hit him?"

"Well, you didn't Tifa, that's what's important." She rubbed Tifa's back, trying to calm her.

Jaras, who had remained close to the door, thought about the situation for a moment. "I'll be back. I'm going to talk to him."

Before they had a chance to say anything in response, he was gone.

Jaras went across the hall and walked right in. He spotted Aaron sitting on the bed, where he'd landed when Tifa had let go of him.

Aaron looked up slowly as Jaras stood before him. The boy's eyes betrayed the fact that he'd been crying.

Jaras felt bad for him, but still there were issues to be dealt with. "Little brother, you cannot talk to your mother like that."

Aaron, ashamed, looked away. "I know."

"Then why do you do it?"

"I'm just so mad about everything right now, Jaras. None of this would be happening if Cid had just not touched Mom in the first place. They let all of this happen, and I'm pissed." He crossed his arms over his chest.

"Watch your language." Jaras narrowed his eyes. "You may be advanced for a child your age, but you _are_ still a child and you will not speak like that, and you _will_ respect your mother."

Aaron had never been reprimanded by Jaras, and it made him feel terrible. "Sorry."

"I know that things have been difficult for you," Jaras said, his tone softening, "but you have to keep control of yourself and your feelings. If you let the miseries that surround you now take hold, you will end up becoming someone you do not want to be."

There was something strange in Jaras' voice that he'd never heard before and he looked up into his brother's eyes. "Okay…"

Jaras moved to sit down next to his brother and placed his arm around the boy's shoulders. "You have no idea what it's like to grow up without a mother, Aaron. Be grateful that you've got one. I did not."

Aaron's red eyes locked into Jaras'. "What happened to your mother?"

"Well," Jaras sighed, "she died shortly after my birth. I never knew her. All I had was the man that claimed to be my father, but he was cruel. I was never loved like you are. I just need you to understand how important your parents really are to you, and how significant it is that they do love you. No matter what happens, they do."

The boy was silent for a moment, seeing the pain in his brother's face.

"Just remember that they love you. I know they've done some things that have hurt you, but they didn't do it with the intent of hurting you. Sometimes, adults just forget that their actions have consequences that the children must bear. Your mother is learning that, though, and she really is trying to make things right for you." Jaras offered him a brief smile.

"She said the other day that there wouldn't be any more men, unless my dad came back. But with Cid here, I'm afraid…" Aaron confessed quietly.

"Cid is here, but only for the purpose of being treated for his illness, little brother. He's not here to try and get back together with your mother. In fact, Jin and L.C. are on their way out here as we speak." Jaras met Aaron's gaze again. "Trust me, if I were under the impression that Cid was here for any other reason, I wouldn't let him near your mother."

Aaron smiled to hear that Jaras was on his side of things. "You'll keep making sure that he doesn't try anything, right?"

Jaras nodded. "Absolutely. I would have no problem removing Cid from the equation if I believed that his continued presence was a threat. Once Jin is here, she will keep him under wraps as well."

The boy laughed. "Okay."

"Aren't you excited that L.C. is coming?" Jaras asked, having not seen any reaction from him at the mention of the pilot's son.

His expression fell and he looked away. "L.C.'s always been my best friend, but after what happened the last time I saw him, I don't think he's going to talk to me ever again."

Jaras nodded, aware of the story regarding Aaron pulling the gun on the other boy. "That was the work of your demon though, was it not?"

"Yeah."

"Well, if I were you, I would suspect that you'll be able to work through this with him, but do know that he probably won't want to be completely alone with you for a while. Don't take it personally, just know that he's going to be scared." Jaras pulled him a little closer.

"Right." Aaron nodded in agreement.

"Now, tell me that you won't talk to your mother anymore like you did," Jaras said, his voice taking back its more serious edge.

"I won't."

Jaras grinned. "Good."

---------------------------

Angel went storming through the base, on a desperate search for her husband. Her intention in finding him was simple enough-- it was the anniversary of her escape from the lab, and she'd wanted to ask him if he'd gotten around to making the reservations at the restaurant that they traditionally went to on this day. Reno was no where to be found, though.

Having searched every where else, Angel finally went into the infirmary, as it was the only place within the base she hadn't gone to. She opened the doors and scanned the room, but the only person present within was Cid.

Figuring that she should at least make the effort to be social, Angel went over to his bedside, seeing that he truly did look unwell. "Hello, Mr. Highwind."

"Just call me Cid, Angel. I think we've known each other long enough." He offered her a weak smile.

"All right." She looked at him, seeing that he was on oxygen and I.V. fluids. "How are you doing?"

He raised the arm that had the intravenous line taped to it. "Hanging in there. Waiting for your guys to try and cure me. I guess I came down with pneumonia on top of all this other shit."

Angel was well versed in how serious that disease was for someone in Cid's condition. "Oh God, I'm sorry to hear that."

The pilot shrugged and looked away. "Yeah, well, there's not a lot I can do about it. I just hope that they can give me the stuff to get me heading in the right direction soon."

"I see." Angel clasped her hands behind her back. "If there's anything that I can do for you, let me know."

Cid picked up on the discomfort coming from the woman before him. Being one to call it as it is, he did just that. "You don't really seemed all that thrilled that I'm here."

Thinking that she'd been doing a good job of hiding her true feelings, Angel was impressed. "You're more observant than I would have given you credit for. I will admit, however, that I do have my reservations about you being here."

"Fucking Sunshine told everyone, huh? Or did Tifa?" he asked, shifting his position in the bed.

"My father did his best to shield me from what happened, but he did tell Reno and eventually it got to me."

Cid nodded knowingly. "Yeah well, don't worry about it. I'm not gonna try jack shit, okay? I married Jin for a reason, and I'm not one to cheat when I'm a married man."

Angel tensed her jaw, thinking it funny that he'd proclaim his fidelity as a married man when he'd pulled Tifa into that brief affair with him when she had been a married woman.

"Yeah, I know exactly what you're thinking," Cid said, after a short silence passed. "Besides, your brother felt the need to hit me with that threatening intimidation factor when I first arrived."

She couldn't help but smile to hear that Jaras possessed the same fear over Cid and Tifa doing anything that she did.

The pilot caught her expression and looked away. "I don't have the energy for anything right now as it is. I can barely breathe."

After watching how he had to catch his breath between words, Angel knew that this was true. "My brother and I are just worried about Tifa and the children, Cid. It's not a personal slight against you. And if my father were to show back up…"

He watched as she covered her face with her hands and began crying. Cid realized that Reno hadn't told her about trying to go find Vincent, and as far as she knew, he was hopelessly lost doing God knows what. Above all else, Cid hated it when women cried. "Come on, don't do that."

She brought her tear filled gaze up. "How can I not? My father's out there somewhere and you won't even admit where it was that you saw him last! I just have this horrible feeling that he's out there suffering alone…"

"Angel, I didn't tell anyone because I made the man a promise, and I've already betrayed him enough. Things will work out how they're supposed to, okay? Don't worry about it for now. All that can be done, is probably being done." Cid reached out and grabbed one of her hands, trying to comfort her despite the fact it made him feel weird.

Angel stared down where their hands met for a few moments, before pulling back out of his grip. "I have to go."

"Okay." Cid watched as she hurriedly left the room. He realized that he was in the doghouse with most of Vincent's family and would probably stay that way forever.

---------------------------

Reno sat in the copilot's seat with a navigation map held in his hands. He and Brad had been circling over the mountains for a while, trying to locate the small valley that was their goal. The altitude was getting to the ASRIO leader and his head was presently hurting more than it had since he'd left the infirmary. Reno knew that the last three hours of flight had brought this on but he wasn't willing to admit to Brad how miserable he was for fear the chopper pilot would abandon the mission.

Finally, Brad spotted the area they were looking for and he banked the helicopter and began to descend.

Once on the ground, the engines to the helicopter were cut and Reno jumped out, steadying himself against the side of the craft for a moment as he struggled to get the pain in his head to let up for a moment. It didn't seem willing to relent, however, and he straightened back up and began walking through the snow and toward the cave entrance. It was slow going in his slightly unbalanced state.

He went up the small incline behind the frozen waterfall and prepared to enter. When he was almost inside, a chocobo appeared from the interior, growling and with its crest raised.

"Oh shit there, down boy!" Reno raised a hand in defense, knowing that he was in no shape to try running from such an animal. "I'm not gonna hurt you!"

The bird lowered its head and outstretched its wings, in its most threatening pose. It continued to growl, prepared to do whatever it needed to in order to defend its home should Reno come any closer.

"Dirk… stop."

The bird immediately changed its posture and turned, trotting back into the interior of the cave.

Reno sighed heavily and hung his head, knowing how much danger he'd just been in. With the bird no longer blocking his way, he went forward and examined the scene.

Vincent was lying on the ground, where he'd remained for some time now. He was too weak to move much and the fire had gone out long before since he was no longer able to maintain it. His back was presently toward Reno, the red cloak thrown over his form.

Dirk had gone back and sat down close to Vincent, unwilling to let his friend out of his sight. There was a small pile of vegetation near Vincent's head on the ground, as the bird had brought some of the food it had foraged for back inside, in its instinctual drive to feed ill flock mates.

Needless to say, Vincent hadn't touched the bird's offering. What little energy he'd had left that morning had been drained away as Chaos had tried time and again to unsuccessfully take over Vincent and get him out of the cave. Now, he was too weak to do much more than breathe.

Vincent had heard the helicopter's approach and he would have gotten up and hidden, but that was beyond his scope of ability at the moment.

Reno walked forward until he was just a few yards behind his father-in-law. "Vinny?"

He made no motion at all, but did his best to reply. "Huh?"

The ASRIO leader went around and got in front of Vincent, before lowering himself to the ground and sitting. The cold was already getting to him and he regretted not bringing something other than his suit coat. "Damn, Vinny, why'd you let the fire go out?"

This was not a question that warranted the effort of an answer.

Reno looked at Vincent's face, seeing how tired and drawn he looked. He'd never seen Vincent looking this bad and it immediately scared him. "Vinny? Are you sick?"

Again, he gave no response. He figured the situation was obvious enough.

"Look Vinny, we need to talk." Reno used his cane to reach over and poke Vincent in the shoulder.

This just annoyed him. "Cid… told you?"

Reno shook his head slowly. "Actually, no, he kept his promise to you, Vinny. He didn't tell anyone where you were."

"Then how did you find me?"

"I was a fucking Turk, if you'll recall. We have our ways. You know that." Reno poked Vincent again, finding the action amusing on some level since Vincent was in no way capable of stopping him.

Vincent asked the obvious as he examined Reno's new appearance. "Why did you bother after I shot you?"

"We all know that was the doing of Shinra and the ferium, Vinny." Reno gave his smile. "Besides, I'm a down right forgiving kinda guy."

Vincent narrowed his eyes. "Just go away."

"Why? You look like you're dyin', Vinny." Reno moved a little closer.

"That's the point, Reno." Vincent closed his eyes in his exhaustion.

"No, I'm not letting you pull this shit. You ain't killing yourself by staying here." The ASRIO leader took off his suit jacket and threw it over Vincent.

Upon feeling Reno do this, Vincent looked at him again. "Don't worry about it… I'm too dangerous to have alive."

"You don't seem all that fuckin' dangerous to me at the moment, Vinny." Reno gave him a weak smile.

"Chaos…" Vincent had to catch his breath. Never would he have thought talking could be this much work. "He's back and I can't risk letting him hurt anyone."

"I've got the stuff here with me that I can give you to drive him back into submission." Reno pulled the loaded syringe out of his shirt pocket. "And my guys are working on a permanent cure for you and Aaron."

"No, Reno. If you give that to me and I change and hurt you…" Vincent gave it all of his effort and managed to get onto his back.

"You aren't strong enough right now to do a damned thing even if he did try, Vinny." Reno moved again and got directly at Vincent's side so he could look down into his face.

"I shot you, Reno… I turned against everyone too easily. I can't be trusted. Just leave me alone." Vincent closed his eyes again.

"Fuck you, Vinny." Reno pulled the cloak and suit coat off of Vincent and reached down and grabbed his arm. He pushed up his father-in-law's sleeve and looked at the arm before him.

In Vincent's state of severe dehydration, his veins weren't all that obvious, but Reno was good. He kept his grip on Vincent's arm despite his feeble attempts to pull away. Although it had been years since the ASRIO leader had given an intravenous injection, he had the needle to the syringe quickly lined up and into the vein.

Vincent groaned out as Reno did this to him, some of his old phobia of being treated against his will cropping up. Repeatedly, he tried to pull his arm from Reno's hold, but it was futile. His mind, in his starvation, flashed back several years to one of the times that Hojo had been working upon him. "Stop it…God please stop it…"

Reno steeled himself beyond buckling to Vincent's begging and he dispensed the contents of the syringe into his unwilling patient before pulling the needle out and throwing the syringe to the ground. "Calm down, Vinny. It's over."

But it wasn't over. The drug quickly threw Vincent's body into a seizure as Chaos battled one last time, not going without a fight.

"Oh shit!" Reno got to his knees and did his best to hold Vincent down as he flailed, wondering if this would be more than his body could handle.

And it was.

Vincent's seizure stopped within a few minutes, his body going perfectly still.

Reno stared down at him, realizing that Vincent wasn't breathing. "Vinny? Come on!"

Although his mechanical heart was still pumping away, Vincent had gone into respiratory arrest and made no effort to take a breath.

Reno was at a loss for what to do for a few seconds, and then he bent down and did what he had to. He held off Vincent's nose and covered his father-in-law's mouth with his own and gave him a breath. Reno pulled back for a moment to see if Vincent would take the next breath on his own, but he didn't. He repeated the procedure several times, each time waiting for Vincent to do something on his own afterward, but he seemed determined to die.

"This ain't funny, Vinny!" Reno yelled, before giving him his ninth breath.

Finally, Vincent took a breath on his own, and his eyes opened again. "Reno…"

"You scared the shit out of me!" Reno growled down at him angrily. "Let's get the fuck out of here now, before you decide to die again."

"I don't want to go."

Reno sat back and put his head in his hands. "Are you a man of your word?"

Vincent didn't reply, not knowing what this had to do with anything.

"I asked you if you're a man of your word, Vinny."

"I've tried to be." Vincent looked into Reno's remaining eye.

"Then you have to get out of here. Even if it isn't to come back with me, you have to leave this place." Reno took up Vincent's hand into his own. "You can't break a promise to Tifa."

He narrowed his eyes, wondering what Reno meant.

"When your brother first found you, you tried to kill yourself, right?" Reno asked.

"Yeah."

"I'm thinkin' that Tifa got pretty upset, didn't she?"

"Yes." Vincent knit his brow.

"Did she make you promise to her never to kill yourself?" Reno locked gazes with him, trying to see deep within the man before him.

Vincent didn't respond right away. The fact that Reno was being this insightful hit him strangely. "She…she did."

"You're breaking your promise, Vinny. Now, I gave you that stuff so Chaos for the moment isn't a factor. So what reason do you have not to come home with me?" Reno figured he had him.

"Reno…does she really want me?"

"She's been crying her fucking eyes out over you, Vinny. As messed up as it is, she loves you, she always has. Even though there was that crap with Cid, you're the one she's always really wanted." He tightened his grip on Vincent's hand.

Vincent thought about the situation for several minutes. He had made that promise to Tifa, and if he was safe from Chaos and they could keep the demon at bay, then he could go on living. Yet, he wasn't sure he was willing just to immediately return to Tifa's side. He had issues to deal with, and a lot of thinking to do about how he was going to fix their relationship, if it could in fact be saved. "Help me get up."

Reno sighed in relief and stood up, pulling Vincent to his feet as well. However, Vincent was no where near strong enough to stand and he fell against Reno, needing his support. "I can't carry you, Vinny."

Vincent looked over at where Dirk was sitting. "Come here."

The bird got up and came over as asked. Along the way it picked up Vincent's cloak from the ground with its beak.

Vincent staggered to the bird's side and placed his right arm around Dirk's neck, letting the chocobo support most of his weight.

Reno shrugged and bent over, retrieving his suit coat from the ground before throwing it back around his shoulders. He followed Vincent and the bird out of the cave and into the snow.

Vincent had Dirk help him all the way to the helicopter and once there, Brad spotted Vincent and helped him to the chopper's door. Vincent sat down in the doorway, putting himself just a little below eye level to Dirk.

The bird looked at him perplexed, not understanding the situation. Vincent reclaimed his cloak from the bird and draped it around his shoulders.

Dirk warbled, aware somehow that he and Vincent were about to part ways.

Vincent reached out with a trembling hand and stroked the bird's chest. "I have to go now. I'm sorry. You've done more for me than you'll ever know, Dirk."

Again, the bird produced a quiet sound.

"There are a lot of wild chocobos up here. You should be able to find a flock easily enough. I know you at least can look for food on your own." Vincent gave a weak smile and let his hand fall back to his side.

Reno came up. "Vinny, we need to get you out of here."

He sighed and touched the bird on last time. "Thanks, Dirk."

Reno got into the chopper and helped Vincent get into a seat. Brad then closed the door, cutting off Vincent's view of Dirk once and for all.

The bird lingered near the side of the machine for a moment, until the engines fired up. The noise they made startled the bird and sent him running back toward the cave.

As the helicopter lifted up into the sky, Dirk let out several long trills which were drown out by the chopper. The bird would miss Vincent, but within a few days he would find a small flock of other chocobos and would live out the rest of his days in freedom.

---------------------------

Inside the helicopter, Reno reached into his coat pocket and pulled something out. "Here."

Vincent looked over and saw that Reno was holding a candy bar out to him. He eagerly grabbed it and tore away the wrapper, eating it all within a few short minutes. It was very possibly the best thing he'd ever had in his life. His stomach that had been paining him for food for the last several days, quieted down finally and although he remained extraordinarily weak, Vincent felt better. If nothing else, it was good to be out of the cold.

He turned and met Reno's gaze. "Thanks."

---------------------------

Once they arrived at the base a few hours later, Vincent was taken straight to the infirmary and put into a bed. He looked over, seeing Cid giving him a lazy smile. "Highwind, did you tell Reno where I was?"

Cid shook his head. "I didn't tell him where you were, Sue. He figured it out on his own."

Vincent wasn't entirely convinced that this was the truth, but he figured he would let it slide. If Cid had told, he had only done it out of his concern for him. If Cid's suicide had gone unfinished, then it seemed that Vincent's would as well. The way their lives tended to parallel one another's at times was strange.

Janice finished examining Vincent and sat on the edge of his bed, momentarily ending his discussion with the pilot. "All right, you're severely dehydrated and I'm guessing that you might have done a little damage to your kidneys, but if we get you on fluids and have you start eating again, you'll probably be all right in the long run. I'm going to take some blood to test just to see how bad your chemistry is off for the time being, and I'm going to get an I.V. started, all right?"

Vincent wasn't thrilled with the idea of an intravenous line, but he was well aware of how badly he needed it. "That's fine."

"You're lucky you didn't end up with a raging case of pneumonia like your friend over there," Dr. Arlin said, pointing over at Cid.

He knit his brow and looked over at the pilot. "Pneumonia on top of the cancer? That can't be a good thing. Have they given you whatever it is to cure you yet?"

"Naw, not yet. The guys are still working on it." Cid crossed his arms over his chest, and his tone was a little biting.

Vincent thought he knew what the problem is. "You saw Quigley, didn't you?"

Cid nodded, knitting his brow. "Yeah, but I was nice and didn't kick his ass."

"Well that was big of you," Vincent shot back, finding it funny that the other man would be that upset about the situation between Jin and the researcher in light of what he'd done with Tifa. Cid was a man of double standards, so it seemed. Still, Vincent was glad to see that his old friend had made it here. "So here we are."

"Yeah."

Vincent considered him for a moment. "Did you call Jin?"

Cid smiled. "I did when I got here, and damn it, I felt terrible for scaring her that bad. She's on her way out here."

"Good."

"So, are they gonna tell Tifa that you're here?" Cid asked.

Vincent shrugged. "Not right away, at least. I had Reno promise me that much, but he's flakey and you never know what he's actually going to do. I'll see her, but I'm not ready quite yet."

Cid took this in stride, used to Vincent's idiosyncrasies. "Well, I won't say a damned thing."

---------------------------

Angel was beyond upset as night fell. Reno had been missing all day now and no one seemed to have even the faintest clue where he'd gone. To her, the anniversary of her escape from the lab had always been an important event and the thought that Reno was going to miss it for whatever reason was hurting her feelings terribly.

At a loss for anything else to do, Angel went to the control room and sat at Reno's desk, knowing that whenever he did decide to reappear that he would at some point come here.

A long while passed, but finally she spotted her wayward husband strolling toward her. She checked her watch, seeing that it was almost seven. They always went out to dinner at six.

When he neared, he gave her a wide smile. "Hey Babe!"

She was furious. "Don't 'Hey Babe' me! Where in the hell have you been all day?"

"Getting your anniversary present."

_Oh crap, he didn't forget…or he did and he's trying to cover his ass, _Angel thought to herself. "Really?"

"Yeah, and it wasn't easy, either. I went through Hell and back to find what you wanted." Reno leaned up against the edge of the desk.

"What about dinner?" she asked, still not entirely pleased with the situation.

"You're gonna forget all about dinner once you see what I got you, Babe." Reno reached out toward her, indicating that she needed to get up.

Angel complied and took his hand, and found herself led toward the infirmary. Once before its doors, she looked at her husband. "Reno, what are we here for?"

"Your present's hiding inside, Babe." He pushed the door open and motioned for her to enter.

Angel stepped inside and looked around. First, she spotted Cid lying in his bed, giving her a smile and then she scanned to the other side of the room, her eyes falling upon Vincent as he lay in another bed. She ran forward and got to his side, disbelieving what she saw. "Father! Where…where did you come from?"

Dr. Arlin had put him on intravenous fluids and he was starting to feel better. "Reno came and got me."

She looked up seeing Reno, as he'd come to the other side of the bed. "How did you know where to find him?"

Reno shrugged and smiled. "I dunno, I guess I just had a flash of insight."

Angel was speechless and she just leaned down and embraced Vincent for all he was worth.

Vincent closed his eyes as he held her. "I'm sorry…for everything that happened."

"We were so worried about you," she sobbed against him. "I knew that everything that happened was because of the ferium."

"That's over and done with," Vincent replied quietly.

"Does Tifa know you're here?" Angel asked him as she straightened back up.

Vincent shook his head. "No, I don't think she does, and…"

"And what?" Angel saw his expression turn almost painful.

Vincent looked away. "I don't know if I'm ready to see her yet or not. Don't tell her I'm here, all right?"

Angel didn't understand. "But she'll want to see you! You haven't even seen your new baby girl!"

He still couldn't meet her gaze. "I know, but I'm just not ready yet. Please don't tell her."

Reno interrupted. "Actually, Aaron's finished his course of the anti-demon drug and Tifa was more or less thinking about heading home in a day or two."

Vincent looked up at him. "I'd prefer to get better here and then head home. I think she and I need to talk there, where maybe everything can be a little less stressed."

"You're honestly going to keep hiding from her for the rest of the time you're here? Dad! She's in the damn base with your baby! You really should see her!" Angel couldn't help but get angry.

Vincent brought his gaze up and over across the room, staring at Cid. "I'm not ready yet, and I would hope that you would all respect my wishes on this. I will go back to Kalm and I will see her shortly thereafter, but I don't want her to see me here like this. In fact, I've already asked Janice if I could be taken out of here and put into an empty room so that she doesn't see me in here, with him." He motioned over to where Cid was trying his best to not listen in on the conversation.

Angel sighed heavily and crossed her arms over her chest. "Fine, we'll do it your way, as long as you swear you're not going to just take off and vanish again after getting hydrated here."

"I have no intention of vanishing, but I need to work things out at my own pace." Vincent settled back into his pillows. "Right now, I'm just really tired and want to sleep."


	29. Chapter 29

Pardon me, most of this was written in the car as we drove through Colorado and Utah. Good times, and not easy to write with two kids wriggling around the back seat! Luckily, they can't read.

Chapter Twenty Nine

"Oh crap! It's six-fifty!"

Porter looked up from the computer before him and over at his partner. "What's that, Quig?"

"I'm going to be late!" The researcher hurriedly got up from his desk and started for the door.

"Late for what? Do you have a hot date or something?" Porter asked jokingly.

Quigley stopped and turned around, a boyish grin coming to his lips. "Actually, I do."

"Really?" Porter smiled in return. It was a rare thing for Quigley to do anything remotely social, especially with the opposite sex. "Who?"

"Amy's back."

"Oh…" Porter cocked an eyebrow. Quigley had spoken about his regrets regarding that particular woman over the last several years. "And you're going out?"

Quigley nodded. "Yeah, she wants to give it another try."

"Well, get going and good luck, Quig."

"Thanks," Quigley replied as he exited the lab.

He went to his room and quickly changed into his best outfit and got ready. No sooner had he set his comb back on the counter did a knock come to the door, causing his heart rate to skyrocket. Quigley looked at himself in the mirror before answering the door. "Just don't screw it up this time, Quig."

When Quigley opened his door, he spotted Amy standing there in a dark blue dress, and she looked lovely. He found himself dumbstruck for a moment.

She reached out and poked him in the shoulder. "Cat got your tongue?"

He broke into a smile and flushed red. "You…look really nice."

Amy blushed in return. "Thanks, you look great, too."

Quigley figured that this was probably the furthest thing from the truth, but took the compliment in stride. "Thanks. So, where did you want to go for dinner?"

"Oh, uh, how about the place we went on our last date, if it's still open?" Amy looked down at the ground.

Inwardly, Quigley sighed in relief. He'd hoped that would be where she wanted to go, as he'd called for reservations earlier. "Perfect, Italian it is."

Amy reached out and took his hand. "Let's go."

Quigley realized that he was shaking, and he did his best to steady himself as he walked hand in hand with her out of the base and to the restaurant.

They ate dinner, each being plagued by their social inadequacies and finding it hard to keep a constant stream of conversation going. For the most part, they would give each other shy smiles, just glad to be together again.

They finished their food and sat looking at one another. Amy was the one who broke the silence. "So, has anything interesting happened in your life since we spoke last?"

Quigley dropped his gaze away and his shoulders slumped. "Actually, my brother died a little while ago."

Her eyes went wide. "Spencer? Oh my God, Quig, I'm so sorry to hear that! What happened?"

He ran a hand down his face, still finding it far too easy to cry about the situation. "Well, he went on a mission into the Junon lab and he was shot. Dr. Methius did surgery on him and hooked him on ferium in order to control him along with Mr. Valentine. In any event, I caught him shooting up and he was taken to the infirmary having withdrawals, and he died."

"Oh," Amy sighed. Having had the pleasure of meeting Peirte, this didn't surprise her to hear this as much as one would have thought. Still, she knew how important Quigley's brother had always been to him and she couldn't help but feel terrible. "Quig, I know how much you loved him."

"Thanks." Quigley offered her a faint smile before changing the subject. He feared that if he kept dwelling on Spencer's death that he'd just break down in tears.

Finally, dinner was over and they headed back to the base. Quigley walked Amy to her room door, hoping not to botch the end of this date like the one three years ago. He stepped up to her and put his arms behind her back and stared down into her eyes. "Uh, would you mind it if I kissed you?"

Amy smiled. "There's nothing that I'd like more, Quig."

He swallowed hard and held her tightly, his nervousness obvious. Quigley closed his eyes and leaned forward, letting his lips meet hers gently for a moment. When he pulled back and looked down into her eyes, he saw something there. "Amy?"

She was shaking now. "Quig…can you come in for a little while?"

Quigley raised his eyebrows. "Sure."

"Okay," Amy said back quietly and turned around, opening the door.

He followed her in and waited as she closed and locked the door. Amy motioned over for him to sit on the couch, and she quickly landed at his side.

Quigley looked into her eyes again, hoping that his stress about the situation wasn't that obvious to her. "So, what do you want to talk about?"

Amy dropped her gaze down to her hands, folded in her lap. "How much do you know about what happened right before I left Junon?"

He frowned briefly. "Well, I know that you were made Dr. Methius' Turk for a short time, and that he attacked you."

"Do you know how he attacked me?" she asked, wondering how much he was aware of.

He just nodded. "Yeah."

Amy looked up into his eyes. "Quigley, I'm twenty-eight years old and I've never been with a man, because I wanted to wait until I could be with someone I loved. I almost lost that when he tried to rape me."

Seeing the tears in her eyes got to him and he moved closer, putting his arm around her shoulders. "I'm really sorry that happened, Amy. It really upset me when I found out. It made me wish that I'd been there to try and protect you."

She gave him a faint smile. "Well, I really do want my first time to be with someone that I love, Quig. I…I'd like it to be you."

Quigley was fairly sure that he was going to fall over dead of a heart attack. He felt color come to his cheeks once more, as well as a stirring within him. "Me?"

"I've thought about it a lot over the years, Quig. I've loved you for a long time." Amy reached up and touched his cheek.

He felt safe to admit his own feelings as well. "I fell in love with you years ago. You really feel the same way about me?"

She gave him a quiet laugh. "Yeah, of course, why else would I have said that?"

"I guess I'm in disbelief that a woman like you could be interested in me." Quigley gave her a smile, enjoying the feeling of her hand lingering against his face.

"You keep acting like I'm some sort of super model, Quig." She blushed. "I think you need to have your eyes checked."

Quigley reached up and framed her face with his hands. "God Amy, there's nothing wrong with my eyesight at all. You are the most beautiful woman I've ever seen."

Amy found herself kissing him again, and this time she parted her lips to him, inviting him in. As his tongue grazed lightly against hers, Amy felt an overwhelming wave of arousal wash over her, and she sighed.

Although Quigley wanted to let his hands leave her face and explore her body, he was reluctant to do anything that she didn't give him explicit permission for. The knowledge that she was still a virgin at her age but willing to give herself to him was intimidating. He pulled back from the kiss and locked into her gaze. "Do…do you really want to be with me?"

The blush of arousal had crept its way across her cheeks and neck, and her eyes burned with desire. "Yes, I'm ready, Quig."

"I don't want you to regret it, that's all. I love you, Amy, and I don't want you to resent me for taking away your…purity." Quigley nearly choked on the words, disbelieving that he was in this situation at all.

Amy gave him a quiet laugh. "Trust me, I've put a lot of thought into this. I've been a virgin long enough."

Quigley realized he'd been holding his breath and he exhaled. "Oh God, Amy… This…wow. Uh, I guess this means that we're like a couple then?"

"Yeah." Amy put her hand upon his leg. "I'd like that."

"Me, too." Quigley felt himself trembling again. "So, you'll probably want to go out with me for awhile before we do anything, though, right?"

Amy leaned closer to him. "No, Quigley. I want to be with you now."

Once more, Quigley believed that a heart attack was imminent. His voice cracked, "Really?"

She just nodded and then pulled him in for another kiss.

Feeling like his legs would give out from under him, Quigley rose from the couch and held out his hand to Amy, leading her over to the bed. She sat on the edge of it and looked up at him. "Can you turn off the light?"

Quigley did as requested and sat at her side. "Are you sure about this?"

"Yes."

Their lips met again, and Quigley let his hands begin to run over her body, slowly working on freeing her of her dress. Amy in return felt him timidly, unsure of what she was doing.

After about a half an hour of careful work, the two of them were unclothed and beneath the sheets of Amy's bed. Quigley was propped up on an elbow at her side, still kissing her and letting his free hand glide over her, taking in all that he could.

Amy looked into his eyes in the darkness when he pulled back from her mouth for a moment. "Quig?"

He offered her a smile. "Yeah?"

"Now, okay?" Amy honestly felt like she'd go mad if he delayed any longer. Her twenty-eight years of abstinence made her burn for him all the more.

Quigley moved himself on top of her, his own state of arousal almost painful. He'd never been with a virgin before, and he was honestly afraid of hurting her. Introverted geek or not, God had granted him a generous male anatomy. "Amy, if this hurts you at all, let me know, all right?"

She nodded at him, trying to relax as best she could under the circumstances. "Okay."

He let his lips meet hers again, and he reached down and guided himself into her. Quigley proceeded slowly, watching her reaction as he went.

Amy gasped and cried out, raising her hips up off of the bed to meet him. "Quig…"

"Are you okay?" he asked, only about half way in.

She was far better than okay. "Quig…don't stop…"

Quigley kissed her deeply, and finished his first thrust into her. Amy moaned softly into his mouth, reveling in the sensation of their two bodies together. After giving her a few minutes to get accustomed to him, Quigley began moving slowly and gently, doing his best not to hurt her. Amy's sounds and motions indicated that she was enjoying the experience.

When Quigley finished nearly forty-five minutes later, he looked down into her eyes. "Was that all right?"

Amy cocked an eyebrow and gave him a wide smile. "That was great."

That was the first time Quigley had ever heard that and it did wonders for his ego. He couldn't help but laugh. "Thanks."

---------------------------

Vincent had been taken from the infirmary and into an empty room, as to conceal his presence from Tifa. Angel came to see him one more time before going home for the day.

Vincent looked up from the book he'd started reading and gave her a weak smile.

She came over and sat on the side of his bed. "Look, I think you're being ridiculous about not seeing Tifa."

He dog-eared his book and set it down next to him. "Angel, I'm not refusing to see her right now in some effort to make her miserable. I will see her and it will be soon, but not here, and not like this. If she sees me like I am right now, she'll realize what I was up to and I don't want to put her through that. If it would make you feel better, you can tell her that you've spoken with me and that I'm fine and that I intend to come and see her after she goes back home to Kalm."

This was better than nothing but still it wasn't what she wanted. "Damn it, Vincent."

She never called him by his name anymore, and instantly he knew that he was in real trouble. "Angel, you don't know what--"

She cut him off. "No, you're exactly right, I don't know what it's like! If I was separated from Reno for any length of time, I'd rush right back to his side the first chance that I got. And if he was pulled away from me and I had the baby that I'm carrying, I know he'd do everything in his power to get back to me and see his new infant!"

"Wait, you're pregnant?"

"Yeah, I'm pregnant and so is Jaras' wife." Angel was as angry as she'd ever been. "Don't change the subject!"

The fact that he had two new grandchildren on the way compelled Vincent to raise a hand. "Jaras and you _both_ have babies on the way?"

"Oh good, starvation made you stupid, too!" Angel crossed her arms over her chest. "That's what I just said! I suppose you'll run away and never bother to see these kids, too, right?"

Vincent was both happy to hear that his son and daughter had children on the way as well as frustrated that she couldn't understand his situation. "Damn it, I'm not running away from anything! I just want to get to the house and debug it before Tifa goes home so that there won't be anymore spying on her by Shinra! After that's done and I'm feeling…ready, I'll talk to her, but I'm not doing it right this moment and if you keep pressing me to do it, I'll rip this I.V. out of my arm and leave this base right now!"

He had never raised his voice at her in the nearly seven years that they'd known one another. Angel had the same temper as he did, though, and it was making itself known. "I love it! Your solution to everything is to run away!"

"No, my solution to everything isn't to run away! I was trying to save people from Tseng's fate! And how many times do I have to tell you? I'm going to see Tifa, just not right this fucking minute! Maybe, just maybe, part of me wants to make sure I've gone through enough treatment with the anti-Chaos drug to keep me from changing again if she and I start arguing and I get mad." Vincent met her gaze, his red eyes blazing with all of the emotions running through him.

Angel stood up and faced him. "Fine, do whatever you wish."

Vincent easily saw the frustration and pain in her expression and it hurt him. "Angel, I'm going to see her. I can't explain it any better than I already have. I'm sorry if I'm pissing you off, but…"

Her anger wasn't necessarily abating, but his last comment about finishing his course of Chaos treatment had hit her hard. This was something that she couldn't argue with him about, and pressing on with the subject may just make the demon resurface. "Vincent, do whatever you need to do. Just know that as a mother and wife that if my husband wasn't at my side the second he had the chance after going through all of this, that when he did show up, I probably wouldn't want him."

"Angel, that may be but things between Reno and you have been a lot less complicated than between Tifa and I. She did have an affair, and then she got together with Cid within a day of thinking that I was dead. I feel a little betrayed by everything, although I do still love her." Vincent was going to admit something. "And now Cid…if he survives his treatment and gets better, I guess I'm afraid on some level that Tifa and he might try something again. Maybe she intentionally started fighting with him because she wanted to put some distance between the two of them before he died. I don't know, I'm really confused right now. I just need a little bit of time, that's all."

Angel looked away. Reno had never been unfaithful to her or she to him, so there was a dynamic in her father and Tifa's relationship that she didn't understand. "I just hate the thought of your baby girl being less than a hundred yards from here and still never having met you."

"It's killing me, too." Vincent hung his head. The thought that the baby was so close had been foremost on his mind since arriving. "I do want to see her."

"Do you honestly?"

Vincent met his daughter's stare. "Yes."

She nodded shallowly. "All right. I'll go get her and tell Tifa to take Aaron out to dinner or something. Then you can see her."

Vincent smiled. "I'd appreciate that."

Angel turned and walked from the room, slamming the door behind her-- she was still upset, but this at least would be a step in the right direction. She went immediately to Tifa's door and knocked.

Jaras, who'd remained with both Tifa and Aaron for the remainder of the day to act as a mediator between the two of them answered. "Angel?"

"Tifa and Aaron are here, right?" she asked.

He nodded. "Yeah, they had a rough day. Aaron and she got into a pretty good argument and they've been trying to smooth over things tonight."

"Well, I was hoping to take Charlotte off of her hands so that she and Aaron could go out and have some time together without the baby. What do you think?" Angel stepped closer to her brother.

Jaras looked thoughtful for a moment. "That sounds like a wonderful idea, I think it would be good for them. Aaron received his last dose of that drug today, so they'll most likely be heading home tomorrow and I'm suspecting that it will be a long while before they get the chance to do anything without the baby for a long time."

Angel entered the room as Jaras moved aside. "Tifa, I was going to offer to take Charlotte for a few hours so that you and Aaron could have dinner together."

Tifa immediately looked relieved. Getting a small break from the baby seemed like a Godsend. "Angel, you have no idea how much I'd appreciate that. I just finished nursing her so she's good to go for a little while."

Angel went over and took the baby from her arms. "Fine, you and Aaron go and have a good time."

Tifa looked over at her son. "Ready to go out?"

The boy got up from the couch where he was sitting and shrugged. "Yeah, I guess so."

Angel smiled at them as they departed, leaving her and Jaras with the baby. "I hope they have a nice time out."

"And I as well." Jaras looked into Angel's eyes. "There seems to be some ulterior motive in this plan, or am I imagining things?"

Angel laughed. "You know me too well, brother. Come along and I'll show you."

Jaras picked up the diaper bag and went along behind her in silence, wondering what she was up to. When she stopped in front of the door to what he thought was an empty room, he finally spoke up. "What are we doing?"

"We have a guest, Jaras." Angel unlocked the door and motioned for him to enter.

He went in and saw Vincent lying in the bed. "Dad?"

Vincent gave him a smile. "I owe you a huge debt of gratitude."

"I only did what I had to. I just wish that it hadn't come at the cost of you suffering." Jaras came over and sat on the edge of the bed.

Vincent could already appreciate the fact that Jaras was acting more like his old self than Sephiroth. "The Jenova they put into you…have the effects of it worn off?"

He shrugged. "I don't understand what's going on with me. The force that was trying to take away my emotions and make me power hungry has faded away, leaving me who I am, although my body has changed somewhat."

Vincent was fascinated by this but grateful that his son's true personality had won out in the end. "So then Jaras it is, not Sephiroth, right?"

Jaras nodded.

"And I hear that Jeanine's expecting?" Vincent asked, a smile coming to his lips.

Jaras blushed slightly. "Yes."

"That's great, Jaras. I know you'll do very well as a father." Vincent was proud of his son and it showed.

Angel stepped closer, drawing their attention to her. "Speaking of being a father, here's Charlotte."

Vincent quickly sat up in the bed and scooted so that he was leaning back against the headboard. He outstretched his arms, wanting his baby handed over. "Give her to me."

Angel handed over her tiny sister and stepped back to watch Vincent's reaction.

He slowly lowered the bundle to his chest and pulled back the blanket that was wrapped around her. Vincent stared down into her small face, seeing her bright blue eyes looking back at him. Her complexion was just as fair as his own, and her head was crowned with a blond wisp. It wasn't hard to see how Tifa would have thought this baby to have been Cid's. However, Vincent could tell from her appearance alone that she was his beyond question. He smiled as her tiny rosebud mouth opened in a yawn. "Charlotte…you're beautiful."

Angel and Jaras looked at one another, touched by Vincent's reaction to his new child.

Vincent looked up at Angel. "Her full name?"

Angel's smile faltered. "Oh, Tifa named her Charlotte Cidelle Vatatsi."

He knit his brow. "Cidelle?"

"She thought…" Angel realized that she didn't need to explain it to her father, he already knew.

Vincent seemed to relax after letting it sink in for a minute. "I know, and honestly, it's fine." He got back to looking at his baby, too taken with her perfection to care very much about her having been named after the pilot. If nothing else, Tifa had made her first name Charlotte, which had been his request. Now, if she'd made the little girl's first name Cidelle, then he might be a little more upset about the situation.

Vincent had to wipe a tear away from his eye. "Charlotte…I'm not going to fail you. I will get things right for you."

---------------------------

Tifa took Aaron up to Costa del Sol, leading him to the local franchise of his favorite fast food establishment. Once they got their order they sat and ate in silence for a while.

Aaron, remembering what Jaras had said to him, cracked under the tension. "Mom?"

"Yes, Sweetie?" Tifa met his gaze, by now growing accustomed to his new eye color.

"I'm really sorry."

Tifa smiled and reached across the table, covering his hand with her own. "It's okay, Aaron. We've…we've had a hard time and I know things have gotten to you."

"When I figured out that Cid was around, I just got upset." Aaron looked away from his mother, still ashamed of his actions.

"I know, and after all that happened, I can't say I blame you, but like I told you, unless your father comes back, there won't be any other men. I made you and Charlotte that promise and I intend to stand by it, Aaron. You two are the most important things in the world to me." Tifa gave him a smile.

Aaron reciprocated her expression. "Okay."

---------------------------

Jin led L.C. by the hand and down into the ASRIO base. She made her way directly to the infirmary, knowing that Cid would be there.

Cid saw her and his son enter the room and broke into a wide grin. "Hey."

Jin came over and embraced him tearfully. The fact that she'd thought him dead for a day had made her appreciate him on a whole new level. "God damn you, Cid!"

He felt tears come to his eyes as well. "I'm sorry, Jin. I just wanted to spare everyone the misery of watching me die slowly."

Jin just cried silently in his embrace. When she finally straightened up, L.C. climbed up onto the bed and onto his father.

Cid held his boy tightly. "L.C., how are you holding up?"

The boy just smiled. "I'm okay."

"I didn't tell him," Jin said quietly.

Cid was grateful for this. "Thanks."

L.C. didn't care what they were talking about, he was just glad to be with his dad. "I missed you!"

"I missed you too, kid." Cid looked over at Jin. "I think you need to sit down."

She did as ordered and came to rest on the edge of his bed. "What's going on?"

Cid took one of her hands. "The guys here, they might be able to cure me, thanks to some information that Vincent had taken out of the lab."

Jin knit her brow. "You said they might be able to help you, and now you're telling me that they might actually be able to _cure_ you?"

"Yeah, they might. Porter and…_Quigley_ are working on it." Cid glanced away from her, looking displeased at having said the researcher's name.

Jin slapped him in the shoulder lightly. "Cid, don't be like that about it. Just be thankful that he's here so that if there is a cure, he can get it together for you. Maybe you're mad at what I did with him, but it was my choice to do it just as much, well hell, probably more than his. Let it go, Cid. Especially if you're expecting me to tolerate you still talking to Tifa."

He rolled his eyes and sighed. "Yeah, all right."

Jin just stared at him and laughed. Cid would always be Cid, no matter what.

---------------------------

Tifa stayed out with Aaron for a while, until it got close to when she'd have to nurse the baby again. They returned to their room in the base, finding Jaras present but not Angel.

When he saw them, he got up and stretched. "Just a moment, I'll go get Angel and the baby."

Tifa smiled and nodded, willing to let him retrieve the infant since she wanted to get ready for bed.

Jaras walked out of the room and down the corridor and around a corner, until he got to the room that Vincent and Angel were in. "Tifa is back."

Vincent had been holding his new daughter for the entire last three hours. He was reluctant to give her back over, knowing that it might be a while before he saw her again. Vincent gave the baby a kiss on the top of the head. "I love you, Charlotte. I'll see you." Slowly, he extended the baby out to Angel.

She accepted her infant sister. "Okay, I'm going to go give her back to Tifa. I'll come by and see you in the morning, Dad."

Vincent gave a forced smile, still having his eyes fixed on the baby. "All right."

Angel bent over and grabbed the diaper bag before heading over to Tifa's room.

Once she was gone, Vincent looked at Jaras. "Help me get this I.V. line out of my arm. I have to leave now to get home before Tifa."

Jaras wasn't sure if Vincent was in any shape to travel yet. "Dad, that's probably not a good idea yet."

"Maybe not, but if Tifa is planning on leaving tomorrow to head home, then I need to get there first to get the bugs and cameras out before she arrives." Vincent was already pulling the tape holding the catheter from his arm. "Go get the rest of the doses of the anti-Chaos drug from the lab, too. I'll just give myself the next several shots."

Jaras knew that his father wouldn't be dissuaded from his choice of actions and he did as asked.

---------------------------

Angel walked back into Tifa's room, with the baby girl sleeping in her arms. She went over and sat on the couch next to Aaron, as Tifa was in the bathroom getting ready for bed. She looked over at her little brother. "How was dinner?"

"Fine," he replied quietly, already engrossed in his game.

Angel moved closer to him. "Aaron, if you ever need to talk to someone, you know you can always turn to Jaras and I, right?"

The boy looked at her and produced a faint smile. "I know."

"Good, I just don't ever want you to feel like you have to go through things alone. Your brother and I care about you an awful lot, and we know that you've been put through some difficult stuff." Angel looked down at the video game in his hands, seeing the screen name of his current opponent displayed.

_Dafukinboss_

Angel giggled to herself. "How much is Reno playing that?"

"A lot." Aaron smiled. "And he hasn't beaten me once."

Several minutes later, Tifa emerged from the bathroom in her nightshirt. She came over and accepted Charlotte from Angel. "Thanks for watching her. I hope she was good."

"She never made a sound." Angel got up from the couch, ready to head back home. "It was like she was perfectly content where she was."

Tifa smiled and pulled the baby close for a kiss. As she did this, she noticed a particular scent upon the baby and the blanket that wrapped her.

It was soap, tea, and chocolate.

Tifa's eyes went wide and she looked at Angel. "Where is he?"

"Who?" Angel asked, trying to play dumb.

"I can smell Vincent! No one smells like him…he's here, isn't he?" Tifa felt her heart rate jump.

Angel knew she would never be able to pull off lying to the woman before her. "Tifa, he's all right, but he said that--"

Tifa didn't give Angel a chance to finish, as she immediately ran over to the door and pulled it open. She stepped out into the hall, wondering where Vincent was. "Tell me where to go!"

Angel stepped up behind her. "Tifa, he said he's not ready yet, okay?"

She turned to face her. "What?"

"He says he's going to see you soon, but that he didn't want to be reunited with you here. Dad said he'll meet you at home." Angel put her hand on Tifa's shoulder.

"But if he's here, I want to see him!" Tifa had tears in her eyes.

This was more than Angel could stand. "At the end of the hall…go left. It's the fourth door on the right."

Tifa nodded and began walking quickly in the direction indicated. She got to the door she had been told to go to and opened it.

Jaras was standing there, looking sad. The fact that Tifa was there in the doorway told him that she'd figured everything out.

"Where is he?" Tifa asked, coming directly up to Jaras.

He shook his head and dropped his gaze away. "I'm sorry, Tifa, but he's gone. He's heading back toward Kalm."

She just blinked at him. From the smell in the air, Tifa knew that she'd only missed him by minutes. "Jaras…"

Knowing that she was about to break down into tears, he placed his arms around her and the baby and held them close. "I know it's hard, but he had his reasons and he swears that he'll see you back home, Tifa."

Tifa just gave in and cried. She had been so close. "Damn him…"


	30. Chapter 30

Okay, in my infinite wisdom, I've started writing a second story while also writing this one. Lord, please help me keep things straight…I'm easily confused sometimes. Ack!

Oh, and I apologize for the shortness of this chapter compared with the others, but I wanted to get something up today.

Chapter Thirty

Tifa was crushed to have missed Vincent, and she retreated back to her room, leaving the door open for the time being. She went over and sat next to Aaron on the couch, still having Charlotte in her arms.

The boy turned his eyes to his mother. "He wasn't here?"

"No, he left." She tried to keep the tears pushed back. "But Angel said that he will see us back home, so it's not that bad, right?"

Aaron realized that she was looking to him for reassurance. "Right."

L.C. and Jin appeared in the doorway. Tifa noticed their arrival, and suddenly felt a little odd at being in the presence of Cid's wife. Still, she did her best to seem pleasant. "Hi, Jin."

The female mechanic forced a quick smile. "Tifa. I thought I'd just stop in on the way to our room so that L.C. could see Aaron."

Tifa had sort of figured as much, since she knew that there was no love lost between she and Jin. She looked at her son. "Go see him, Aaron."

Aaron rose up from the couch slowly and went toward L.C.

L.C., in the meanwhile, stood behind Jin, watching Aaron's approach with a cautious eye.

"Hey," Aaron said to the other boy, when close enough.

"Spaz," he replied quietly, stepping out from behind Jin.

"Look, I'm really sorry about what happened. It wasn't really me, L.C." Aaron dropped his gaze to the ground.

"Okay."

"Are we still friends?" Aaron asked, his fear over the answer clear in his voice.

L.C. shrugged and shoved his hands into his pockets. "I…I think so, if you promise me nothin' like that's ever gonna happen again."

Aaron smiled. "It won't, L.C."

The pilot's son then caught sight of the video game that Aaron still had in his right hand. "Oh wow…you got one of those?"

"Yeah, my brother got it for me. Wanna try it?" Aaron held out his new acquisition to his friend and they went and sat together in the corner, happily playing.

Tifa was relieved to see that the boys could still get along after all that had happened. She looked over at Jin. "Did you see Cid?"

Jin swallowed her pride and went over, sitting on the couch next to Tifa. "Yeah, I saw him."

"I bet he was glad that you were able to get here so fast." Tifa gave her a smile and then turned her gaze to the baby.

Jin knit her brow and looked at Tifa. "He didn't just come here to see you, right? I mean, the only reason he came here was the promise of a cure, wasn't it?"

Tifa nodded, keeping her gaze upon her daughter. "Jin, he didn't come here to see me. In fact, I'm leaving tomorrow."

This made Jin happy, although she tried to hide her reaction. "I see. You're going home?"

"We are." She met the other woman's gaze. "They've done all they can for Aaron at the moment, and so we're going back. Vincent has said that he'll see me once I'm there, so I'm anxious to get back."

Jin narrowed her eyes. "Do you think that you'll be able to work through all that happened?"

"I hope so, for the kids' sakes if nothing else," Tifa said quietly.

Deciding to change the subject, Jin leaned closer, examining the baby. "Tifa, can I hold her?"

She smiled and then handed Charlotte over.

Jin took the baby and held her close, looking at her face. "So, you're absolutely positive that she's Vincent's?"

Tifa nodded and laughed. "Yeah, there's no doubt about it. She has the same blood disease that he's got."

"I can see why you were confused at first, though." Jin couldn't help but smile, able to appreciate how much the little girl did resemble L.C. as a baby. "She's really cute, Tifa."

"Thanks."

---------------------------

Quigley awoke in the morning to a knock at the door. He opened his eyes and looked around, realizing that he wasn't in his own room. Amy was lying beside him, still asleep. He smiled to himself as he recalled the night before.

The knock came again, and this time Amy woke up as well. She looked at Quigley and grinned at him. "I should probably see who that is."

Quigley gave her a quick kiss before she slid out of the bed and pulled on a robe. She went and answered the door. "Oh, hey."

"Hi, Amy. Uh, I was wondering if Quig was here." Porter couldn't help but smile, already knowing the answer. He could see his partner sitting in the bed behind her.

"Oh, yeah." Amy giggled. "Just a sec."

Porter remained in the corridor as the door was shut again, indicating to him that Quigley probably wasn't dressed beneath the sheets.

A short time later, the door opened again and a hastily dressed and disheveled Quigley emerged. "Port, what's going on?"

He gave the researcher a smack in the shoulder. "You dog!"

Quigley snickered and smiled shyly. "Hey, I get a little every once in a while."

Porter just found the thought of Quigley actually having sex hilarious and he laughed for a little while, not able to look his friend in the eye.

Eventually, Quigley became annoyed at Porter's reaction. "So did you just come here to make fun of me or was there a reason for looking me up?"

"Okay, wait." Porter got his composure back together, and finally looked into his friend's eyes. "I did come by for a reason."

"And that is?" Quigley asked.

"Last night, Jaras came to the lab and insisted on being given the anti-Chaos drug so that he could take it to Vincent."

"Why?" Quigley found this odd.

"Vincent left the base last night to go back to Kalm, and he wanted to have the drug with him so that he could administer the remaining doses to himself." Porter shrugged.

"You didn't let him just take it though, right?" Quigley ran a hand through his hair.

"You honestly think I would have told Jaras no?" Porter shook his head. "Of course I gave it to him."

Quigley just stared at him for a moment. "You let him have it? Porter…that chemical is powerful, if Vincent screws up and gives himself to much he could die."

"Quig, I told Jaras to tell Vincent that he only needs two and a half milliliters per dose." His green eyes darted off to the side. "It was either let Vincent have the drug to take with him or refuse, meaning that Chaos would come back quickly."

The researcher nodded and thought for a moment. "All right, if he was on ferium, then he obviously knows how to give himself intravenous injections. I just hope he doesn't have a reaction or anything."

"He's had it before and he's ended up all right, so hopefully he'll do fine." Porter gave Quigley a smile again. "So, you and Amy..?"

Quigley instantly flushed red. "Yeah, didn't you already figure that one out? I thought you were supposed to be smart."

Porter laughed to himself. "Good for you, man."

---------------------------

Tifa had her things packed up and they had been taken up onto the airfield and placed onto the airship. She and Aaron were going to be treated to a peaceful cruise back home, courtesy of Reno's generosity. Aaron and L.C. were together again, still playing with Aaron's game on the couch together, giving her a chance to go and say goodbye to Cid.

She left the room and headed to the infirmary and entered with Charlotte in her arms. Jin wasn't present for the moment, as she'd gone to speak with Reno about her desire to cut back on her work hours for ASRIO, since she intended to spend most of her time with Cid while he was treated for his illness.

Tifa walked over to Cid's beside, seeing that he was sleeping. She hated to wake him, but she felt like she really did need to talk to him for a little while before leaving. Gently, she placed a hand upon his shoulder and rocked him. "Cid?"

His eyes opened and he looked at her, seeming a little confused for a second. "Tifa?"

"I just wanted to say goodbye before I left." She sat on the edge of his bed, giving him a smile.

"You're leaving, huh?" Cid sat up, leaning toward her.

"Yeah, they've finished Aaron's treatment so he should be all right for a few years, unless they find a permanent cure for him. I figured that getting him home where things are familiar would be best for him, even though I didn't want to necessarily leave you while you're still sick." She dropped her gaze away.

"Yeah, but you need to do what's best for the kids, Tifa, and that means going home." Cid forced a brief grin. "Besides, you can always call. If anything changes with me, I'm sure you'll find out."

"Thanks for understanding." Tifa looked into his blue eyes again. "Plus, Vincent said that he'd see me after I got home, so I'm anxious about that."

He nodded. "Good, that's good to hear."

Tifa fell silent as Cid struggled through a coughing fit. When he quieted back down, she reached over and covered one of his hands with hers. "Are you okay?"

He mustered the last of his bravado and gave her a smile. "I'm gonna be fine, Tiff. You know that. Can I hold the baby for a bit?"

She handed her daughter over to him for a moment.

Cid looked down at the little girl, still hurting with the knowledge that she wasn't his. "You be good."

Tifa continued to watch him stare at the baby for a few minutes, until he reluctantly gave her back over, looking as though he had tears in his eyes.

"Take care of that baby," Cid said quietly, forcing a smile he wasn't feeling at the moment.

"Okay, I will. I'm going to leave then." She leaned forward and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I'll talk to you, soon."

"All right."

"I love you, Cid."

His eyes relayed the fact that he was sad to see her going. "I love you too, Tifa. Now, go get those kids home."

Tifa left the infirmary, collected her son and left the base. She was on her way home.

---------------------------

Quigley and Porter had gotten to the lab to start their work. The former Turk was examining the read out on the compounding machine and then straightened up and looked over at the other man. "Quig! Check this out."

He came over and saw that the display indicated that the drug for Cid was complete. "This is great!"

"Yeah, I know." Porter smiled at his friend. "You know what this means if we give it to him and it actually works, right?"

"I would suspect that Reno will make a press release of the formulation for this drug and the fact that Shinra has been covering up this information for years. It's not only going to save lives, but it's going to really put a thorn in the company's side." Quigley couldn't help but reflect his expression. "This is going to be big."

"Very." Porter reached over and clapped Quigley on the back. "Looks like you're on a winning streak, Quig."

"I know, I'm not used to things going this well." Quigley laughed to himself for a moment.

Porter opened up the machine and pulled out the vial of the finished drug that it had produced. The medication was clear, and had a slight yellowish tint to it. "Well, here it is. The computer said to give him just two milligrams per pound of body weight, right?"

Quigley nodded. "That's what it said. I'll go draw up the first dose. Come on, Port. We're going to go make history."

After Quigley had a syringe loaded, he went to the infirmary with Porter at his side. They entered, spotting Cid with L.C. and Jin at his side.

Cid, anxious to get his recuperation underway, watched them as they approached. "Well? Are we gonna get this thing going or what?"

"I've got the first dose right here." Quigley raised the syringe, proud of himself.

"Good." Cid settled back into his pile of pillows, ready to finally be on the right track.

Porter went over to Janice's office and called her out, knowing that she should be present for this. He and the doctor quickly came to Cid's beside, joining the others.

Quigley picked up the injection port on Cid's intravenous line and inserted the needle. "Ready?"

Cid furrowed his brow and nodded. "Yeah, get on with it."

"All right." The researcher dispensed the syringe's contents into the pilot.

Cid closed his eyes as a strange sensation washed over him. Immediately, a terrible taste filled his mouth thanks to the drug, and he felt a little nauseous. "Oh…"

Quigley dropped the empty syringe onto his bedside table, growing concerned as he saw the color drain from Cid's face. "Are you okay?"

He looked up at Quigley. "Just made me feel a little weird there for a sec."

Janice was concerned as well. "Cid, are you sure you're all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." He was honestly feeling no worse than he had before getting the drug now that the initial nausea had passed.

"So, what's the plan now?" Janice asked, turning her gaze to Quigley.

He shrugged. "The research said that he just needed to receive three doses of this stuff over the course of a week and a half and then he should slowly begin getting better."

"Well, I think we'll all have our fingers crossed," Dr. Arlin said, still looking at Quigley. To her, this still seemed a little too good to be true.

---------------------------

Reno sat staring at the cell phone in his hand. He was about to make a call that would more or less dictate the rest of Jaras' life. After several moments of hesitating, he dialed a number and waited for an answer.

"Yes?"

"Hey." Reno smiled at the sound of his old comrade's voice.

Rude pushed his dark glasses up higher. For the moment, he was away from the President's side and sitting in the diner he tended to frequent for lunch. "Reno? I heard you were shot in the head."

"Yeah, I was. It's not a big deal." Reno laughed to himself. "I'm great."

"That's real good to hear." The Turk smiled to himself, pleased to know that Reno was handling his injury with such flair. "So, what do you need?"

"Why are you just assuming that I want something?"

"Because whenever you call, you _do_ want something," Rude laughed back.

"Yeah, all right, you got me." Reno leaned back in his chair, putting his feet on his desk as he tended to do. "I needed to talk to you about the whole Jaras situation."

"What about him?"

"Well, I was wondering if Shinra was going to be on his ass for the rest of his life or not? I mean, can he ever go back to Mideel? The guy's miserable here, and he's got a kid on the way." Reno pushed an empty paper cup off the edge of his desk with his cane.

"Oh," Rude knit his brow and pushed his lunch plate back. "That's a hard one. Dr. Methius was the main player in wanting him back for research and experimentation, but Harwin had some fascination with Sephiroth, too."

"Damn it, so does that mean that they'll be keeping an eye out for him to return?" Reno honestly did want Jaras to be able to go home.

"Well, let me think."

"We're gonna be here a while, then," Reno said back sarcastically.

"You want my help or not?" Rude laughed in reply.

Reno shrugged. "Just want a plan made before I'm dead."

"That can be arranged, you know."

"Aw, fuck you!" Reno giggled to himself, picking up a stray pencil from his desk and flinging it off so that it struck one of his agents in the back of the head. He was promptly flipped off by said man.

"No thanks." Rude scanned the diner, making sure that there wasn't anyone around to listen in. "Look, if Harwin decides to send someone there to look for him, he'll undoubtedly send in another Turk and have them report to me just like the last time. So, if I hear anything, I'll let you know, but you'll have to actually pay attention this time and not blow me off."

Reno scowled, remembering that Rude had warned him in his own way about the impending kidnapping of Jaras long before it had happened. "Well, don't be all fuckin' mysterious about it. If they're gonna come looking for him, just tell me. You know I'm no good at that code shit."

"Fair enough." He took a drink from the beer he'd ordered with his lunch. "I guess I need to cut you some slack with that brain damage of yours and all."

"Thank you very fuckin' much." Reno flipped his phone closed. If Rude felt that comfortable with Jaras going home, then he would allow it. Although he knew that Angel liked having her brother around, Reno was getting to the point of feeling like his base was becoming little more than a hotel to his extended family. Now that Tifa and her kids had cleared out along with Vincent, it was time for Jaras and Jeanine to go, too. Hopefully, Cid and his clan would follow soon as well, leaving the place as it was supposed to be.

He walked to Jaras and Jeanine's room and entered, failing to knock. Reno's eyes went wide when he realized that he'd just made a huge mistake. "Oh Holy Hell! I'm sorry!"

Jaras was lying on his back on the bed, with Jeanine straddling him. The look of fright on his face as Reno walked in on him during an intimate moment with his wife was priceless. "Get the fuck out!"

Reno retreated back into the hall, closing the door behind him. He instantly broke down laughing, amused at having caught Jaras in such a situation.

The door was flung open and Jaras stepped out into the hall, having pulled on a pair of boxers. He had his sword in his right hand, and he rushed forward, shoving Reno back against the wall, putting the blade against his insolent brother-in-law's throat. His green eyes blazed in his fury. "What do you think you were doing?"

"Coming by to give you some news!" Reno squeaked, not well with the sensation of steel against his neck. "I have to say though, I always pictured you as a missionary kinda guy."

Jaras eyes flashed with anger and he pushed the blade harder into Reno's throat. "Do you have any idea how easy it would be for me to kill you right now?"

Jeanine emerged in the hall behind her husband, having pulled on a robe. "Jaras! What are you doing?"

He didn't seem to hear her, just keeping his gaze locked into Reno's. Jaras was honestly debating hurting the man before him for his thoughtless action.

"Jaras!" she cried out again, growing afraid. To see him angry was a rare enough thing, but having him actually on the verge of potentially killing someone was beyond anything she'd ever witnessed from him.

Again he didn't seem to hear her, and a faint smirk came to his lips. The blade was forced forward just a little more so that Reno's skin was broken and a small trickle of blood ran down, staining the front of his shirt.

Jeanine was abjectly panicked now. There was only one possible explanation. "Sephiroth! Stop it!"

Hearing this name caught his attention and he stepped back from Reno, allowing the sword to fall from his grip and hit the floor. Suddenly, Jaras began shaking as he got a grip on his darker side again, realizing that he had almost just killed the man before him.

The ASRIO leader rubbed his stinging neck and leered at Jaras. "God damn it, I'll knock next time!"

Jaras turned around and looked at his wife. "Jeanine…"

She put her arms around him, wanting to comfort him in his distraught state. "It's all right, Jaras. You stopped it."

"I…I lost it. I'm not…" He held her tightly, letting his words trail off. Jaras was scared.

Reno figured that he might as well give the news since he was here, even if things had gotten really weird. "I just was comin' by to tell you that I talked to Rude and he thinks it's safe enough for you to return to Mideel."

Jaras nodded upon hearing this, but remained with Jeanine in his arms. "Okay."

"So, uh, when do you want to go back?" Reno asked, even more anxious to get Jaras out of the base now.

Jaras was incapable of logical thought at the moment and didn't reply. Jeanine took it upon herself to do so. "We'll think about it and let you know in a little while."

"Sure." Reno gave her a nod and bent to pick his cane up from the ground, since he'd dropped it in his fright. He looked back over his shoulder as he retreated, wondering if there was more going on with Jaras than anyone had suspected. "Touchy fuckin' bastard."

---------------------------

As night settled over the base, Cid found himself alone in the infirmary. He was awake but extraordinarily tired. He'd been that way since getting the injection, figuring that it was just a side effect of the drug he'd been given. Eventually, Cid gave in to his exhaustion and rested back against his pillows, closing his eyes and awaiting sleep.

He immediately dozed off and found himself thrown into a dream. Cid was standing outside of his house in Rocket in the darkness.

"It's not what they thought, Highwind," came a familiar voice from behind him.

The pilot spun around, spotting Vincent sitting on the bench that was outside of his home's back door. He examined his old friend for a moment, coming to appreciate the black, leathery wings that were folded behind him. "What's that, Sue?"

Vincent's wings stretched out behind him and he smiled. "It isn't what they thought."

Cid suddenly felt a pain in his back, causing him to bend forward slightly. There was a burning and tearing sensation by his shoulder blades and he fell to his knees. He cried out as the pain got progressively worse.

Vincent stood up and walked toward him slowly, smiling. "Now you'll know."

---------------------------

Janice was locking up her office, ready to head home for the evening and she scanned the infirmary before leaving. She noticed that Cid was groaning in his sleep, moving weakly upon the bed. Figuring that he was having a nightmare, the doctor went over to his side and placed her hands upon his shoulders. "Cid? Wake up."

He seemed to struggle against her, not opening his eyes.

She tried again. "Cid! Come on, wake up!"

The pilot gasped and sat bolt upright, the look of terror in his expression. "Oh fuck…that was horrible."

"You were having a nightmare, I take it?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

Cid nodded and knit his brow. "Yeah."

"Do you want something to help you rest a little easier?" Janice offered, knowing that decent sleep was something he needed.

Never one to accept drugs that he didn't think that he needed, Cid gave her a polite smile and shook his head. "Naw, thanks. I'll be fine."


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter Thirty One

"Your fuckin' brother damn near took my head off, Babe."

Angel looked up from the book in her hands as Reno walked into the bedroom, ranting. "What are you talking about?"

"I talked to Rude, and he told me that he thought it'd be safe for Jaras to go home, so I went to his room to tell him, and he pulled his sword on me!" Reno seemed incensed about the situation and he sat beside her on the bed.

"What did you do to set him off?" Angel knew Jaras well enough to know that Reno must have really screwed up to have gotten a violent reaction from him.

Reno turned a little red. "I…hey, why do you just instantly think that I did something to deserve it?"

"Because I've known you for a long time, Reno." Angel still was a little surprised to hear that Jaras had pulled his sword on him, although he'd done it seven years ago to Reno, so it wasn't a first.

"Right." Reno shrugged. "I sorta walked in on him bangin' his woman."

Angel sighed and rolled her eyes. "Then I do believe you had it coming, Reno."

He laughed as the moment replayed itself in his mind. "Yeah, well, maybe. But it was worth it to see the look on his face! God damn, he was freaked out."

"You're going to get yourself killed in some really stupid way some day unless you develop a little tact," Angel said back, smiling.

"Probably." Reno grinned back at her. "So…wanna?"

"What?"

Reno reached over and placed a hand on her leg, letting it trail up her thigh. "Gee, I wonder what it could be that I'm after…"

She honestly wasn't feeling up to it at the moment. The pregnancy was finally beginning to affect her, and she was tired. "Actually, let's wait until morning, okay?"

His smile fell and he slouched. "Fine, be that way."

Angel just stared at him and sighed. Reno was a strange character.

---------------------------

"Cid?" Janice said, standing at his bedside.

His eyes opened and he stretched on the bed before looking at her. "Yeah?"

"How are you feeling this morning?"

Cid considered it for a moment, and then took a deep breath, just to see how much it bothered him to do so. He looked confused and repeated the action.

Dr. Arlin wasn't sure what his expression meant. "Cid? Is something wrong?"

The pilot reached up and pulled the oxygen cannulas from his nose and let them fall to the bedside. "Doc, I feel fine."

"Fine?" Janice reached into her pocket and pulled out her stethoscope.

"Yeah, fine. Good as new." He smiled up at her.

She was confounded to hear him make this claim when he'd been close to dying over the last few days. Janice placed the stethoscope against his chest and listened as he took several deep breaths for her. After several minutes, she stepped back, shaking her head. "I don't believe this…"

"What?" Cid asked, seeing the unsettling look upon her face.

"Your chest…" Janice motioned toward him with her right hand. "It sounds clear."

Cid knit his brow and locked into her gaze. "They said it would take me a long time to get better, but I feel perfectly fine right now. Maybe that stuff works better than they thought it would."

"I can maybe accept that it did something for the cancer, Cid, but you still had a raging case of pneumonia, and the antibiotics you've been getting haven't had long enough to clear it up yet!" She couldn't understand what was going on.

Cid didn't care. He felt fine and that was good enough for him. "Get this thing out of my arm so I can go get something to eat."

"I'm not ready to pull your I.V. yet," she protested.

"You know me well enough to know that I'm just gonna rip the fucking thing out if you don't get rid of it." Cid held the arm in question up to her.

She tensed her jaw and narrowed her eyes. "One day, far into the future, I'm going to get a patient in here that will actually comply with medical orders. That will be a wonderful day, you know?"

"Cut the shit and get this off my arm, Janice." Cid was losing his sense of humor. If he was going to feel this good, then being locked in the infirmary wasn't an option.

"All right, I'll take it out, but then we're taking a chest x-ray just to make sure that your lungs look as good as they sound at the moment. After that, I'm going to talk to Quigley and Porter to see if they've got an explanation for this." Janice reached out and began to pull the tape from his arm.

"Fair enough." Cid closed his eyes and waited for her to finish, reveling in the feeling of wellness that he possessed. He hadn't felt this good since he'd been a teenager. It was wonderful-- frighteningly wonderful.

---------------------------

Jaras got up and looked over at Jeanine, seeing that she was already awake. "Hey."

She offered him a smile. "Morning."

"I think we should go."

Jeanine sat up and put her arm around his shoulders. "Are you sure?"

He nodded. "I do. There's something about being here that just makes me feel…uneasy. We've been here too long. Let's go home."

"If that's what you want."

"I do." He slid from the bed and stood, going over to the dresser to retrieve some clothes.

Jeanine just remained in place, admiring him as he moved around the room, getting ready for the day.

Jaras pulled on a shirt and some jeans before picking up the book he had lying on the dresser. He figured he could sit and read for a while until Jeanine was ready to get dressed and go out. Jaras picked up his reading glasses and went to the couch, landing heavily. With his book opened to its appropriate page, he put on his reading glasses and tried to start reading.

It didn't go so well.

The words were all blurred, and instantly he felt like he was going to get a headache. He pulled off his glasses and examined them to see if they were dirty or damaged in some way, but they weren't. And he could tell they weren't because his eyesight was absolutely _perfect_. "Oh my God…"

Jeanine looked over at him from where she was still sitting on the bed. "Jaras?"

He let the glasses fall from his hand to his lap. "I can see."

"What?"

Jaras opened his book again and scanned the words, seeing each of them with perfect clarity. "I can see just fine, Jeanine. I…I don't need my glasses."

"Really?" She got up from the bed and came over to his side. Over the years, she'd come to appreciate how bad his eyesight really had become, and she needed proof. Jeanine pointed to a line in the book. "What's this say?"

Without missing a beat, he read the sentence to her. "Captain Thomason wasn't above using force to get his way if needed, and right now, he felt that it was completely justifiable."

Jeanine looked up into his eyes. "Jaras, that's amazing."

"I guess what they gave me is still changing me on some level." He set the book down, no longer feeling like reading.

She had been able to appreciate the fact that his physique had slowly continued to improve and it stood to reason that his musculature wasn't the only thing being effected. "The Jenova is still working."

He nodded. "It would appear so."

"Jaras, if you felt different emotionally, you'd tell me, right?" she asked, resting her head against his shoulder.

"Yes, I would. You never need to worry about that." He moved and kissed her on top of the head.

---------------------------

A few hours later, Jaras and Jeanine packed up their few belongings and headed up to the airfield. Brad was going to take them home in the chopper, per Angel's order. Angel was standing there next to the helicopter, waiting to give her nervous goodbye to her brother, as she feared what may happen if he went home. Spanky was also there, since he was being sent back to Mideel as well.

Jaras went to the chopper and threw his and Jeanine's bags within, before turning to his sister. "Thank you for all you've done."

She offered him a weak smile. "And I, in turn, thank you. Please be careful."

"I think I've learned to be a little more vigilant of my surroundings," he said back, almost looking amused. "Jeanine and I will be fine."

"I hope so." Angel looked over at Jaras' wife, who was standing to his side. "If anything happened to you or that baby you're carrying…"

Jeanine stepped forward and embraced her sister-in-law. "Jaras will take care of me. You need to take care of the baby you're carrying, too."

Angel smiled, still ecstatic about her pregnancy. "Of course. Reno and I will come and see you soon, and after these babies are born, we'll have to get together again."

"Definitely." Jeanine retreated back to her husband's side. "I'm going to get into the helicopter so you and Angel can have a moment."

Jaras nodded and helped his wife into the machine, before turning back to his sister. He went forward and put his arms around her. "Are you going to be all right?"

She looked up into his eyes vexedly. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"I don't know…Reno's all right, despite what happened to him, isn't he?" he asked.

"Oh, yeah, he's pretty much his old self." Angel grinned.

"That's too bad." His expression didn't betray the fact that he was joking with her.

Angel stepped back and slapped him in the shoulder. "Jaras!"

"Sorry, I couldn't help it." He dropped his gaze. "Is he very upset about what happened earlier?"

"About you pulling your sword on him and cutting up his neck a little?" Angel asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yes." Jaras shrugged. "He had it coming."

"He did. No, he's fine with it. Besides, it's not the first time he's had to bear the consequence of a thoughtless action, I assure you." She shook her head at the thought of all the times Reno had been put in danger because of his lack of common sense and tact.

"All right, well, I'm going to go, then." He pulled her in for another embrace before retreating and going into the helicopter, joining Jeanine and Spanky.

Angel walked away and then watched as Brad fired up the engines and pulled the aged bird up into the sky. She was honestly worried about Jaras going home, even if Reno and Rude seemed all right with it. Only time would tell.

---------------------------

The airship docked in Kalm and Tifa, along with her two children, caught a taxi and were driven home. Aaron had been quiet during the entire trip, not knowing how he was supposed to feel about everything that had happened.

Tifa and Aaron hoped that Vincent would be at the house when they arrived, but neither of them dared to say anything about it, not wanting to get their hopes up if he failed to show.

The car pulled up in front of the house and Tifa paid the driver before taking the baby and their luggage and heading up toward the door. She pulled out her keys and opened it, before stepping inside. Aaron walked past her and to his room, leaving her with the baby. Tifa left the bags near the door and walked toward the kitchen.

Her eyes were drawn to the kitchen table. Upon it was a small pile of electronics. She went closer and examined the items, seeing that it consisted of a few smashed video cameras and various listening devices, all undeniably Shinra issue. Tifa instantly understood what this meant.

First, Vincent had been here. He would have been the only one to know that the house had been bugged and he was one of the few people that she knew who would have been able to locate these devices and remove them.

Secondly, it meant that he had probably been shown everything that had happened between her and Cid. Suddenly, Tifa felt weak and she pulled out a chair and sat, holding her daughter tightly to her arms. The truth of her infidelity to Vincent crushed in on her and tears came to her eyes.

"I'm so sorry…" she said to no one, her shoulders heaving with her regret. Tifa knew that if Vincent did come and see her, that it would be a miracle. She didn't deserve it.

---------------------------

"Quigley, Porter, please come to the infirmary at once."

The two men looked up from their respective work and over at one another. The fact that Janice was calling them to the infirmary worried both of them and they rose from their places and headed to where they'd been requested.

When they walked into the infirmary, they spotted Dr. Arlin standing in front of the x-ray viewer, with Cid at her side.

Quigley was the first to ask. "What's going on?"

Both Cid and Janice turned to face them. Porter and Quigley were instantly able to appreciate the vast improvement in the pilot's appearance.

Porter knit his brow. "What's going on?"

Janice pointed at the radiographs hanging on the viewer behind her. "Cid has been completely cured."

"What? No way!" Quigley stepped closer, examining the x-rays for himself, seeing that Cid's lungs looked absolutely clear. "What the hell?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing." Janice crossed her arms over her chest. "Your cure worked, but you said that his recovery was going to be a slow process."

"There's no way that if could have worked that fast!" Porter shook his head in disbelief.

"You two are the one's that cracked that formula." Janice pushed her glasses up higher. "What happened?"

Quigley was honestly stumped. "I followed the formulation that was in the computer to the letter…I don't know why it wouldn't have worked on him like it was supposed to."

"Well, I don't care what happened, I feel great. I wanna go home." Cid stepped away from them, ready to be out of the base and back home.

"But you're supposed to get two more doses," Quigley replied.

"Until we find out what happened, and as long as Cid is in this sort of shape, I don't think he should be given any more. Something's wrong." Dr. Arlin flipped off the light in the radiograph viewer.

Quigley nodded shallowly and looked away. "All right, that's fair."

"So if I'm not getting any more, that means I can get out of this dump?" Cid smiled.

"I think we need to observe you--" Janice wasn't allowed to finish.

"Fuck that. I can breathe, and I'm going home." Cid was not going to take no for an answer.

"I…I need to go look into the formula some more." Quigley felt the color drain from his face. Cid may have been cured, he may have felt great, but this wasn't how it was supposed to have happened.

"You do that." Janice turned to Cid. "You can go home, under the condition that if anything changes with you, you'll either call or return here immediately, understood?"

Cid nodded. "Sure thing. I'm gonna go see Jin and L.C."

They watched as he left the room, picking up his jacket from the bed he'd been occupying on the way out.

Once he was gone, Dr. Arlin looked at Quigley. "What are the chances that you made a mistake?"

The researcher's heart was pounding in his chest. "I don't know, I followed the formula exactly. If there was a mistake, then it was in the formula itself. I did exactly what it said I was supposed to."

Feeling his friend's unrest, Porter came to Quigley's side and stared at Janice. "Quigley doesn't make mistakes. He's the most careful person I've ever known."

"Well, something isn't right. That sure as hell wasn't the gradual recuperation that you'd described." Janice had possessed reservations about Cid being given the drug, and now she was kicking herself for allowing it. She knew, however, that Cid would have died soon without any help. It was a bad situation all the way around.

Quigley was feeling sick to his stomach. The thought that he may have done something terrible was washing over him and he turned around without another word and slogged back to the lab.

Porter gave Janice a shrug and then jogged after Quigley to catch up, following his partner back toward the lab. "Quig?"

He didn't respond, just walking with his head hung and his hands shoved I his pockets.

Porter reached out and grabbed Quigley's uninjured arm. "Come on, Quig?"

"Porter…I followed the formula…I don't know what went wrong! What if…what if I'd screwed up and he'd died?" Quigley turned his eyes up to meet his friend's.

"Well, he didn't die, and if you didn't notice, he looked great, Quig. He's fine." Porter never knew Quigley to doubt his scientific abilities.

"Looks can be deceiving, Port. We have no idea what we actually did to him!" Quigley pulled his arm out of his partner's grasp.

"He's fine, now stop beating yourself up over it. Maybe there wasn't anything wrong with the drug at all and it's just the way he happened to respond to it. I mean, I'm sure this stuff hasn't been well tested or anything. It could just be a fluke." Porter's mind was seeking any means of comforting Quigley that he could find.

"Maybe…we just don't know." He ran a hand through his hair. "I need to go study the whole situation."

"All right, let's just go and take it one step at a time." Porter began to walk toward the lab again, knowing that Quigley was following.

---------------------------

Cid went straight to his old room and entered, seeing Jin sitting with L.C. upon the couch within. "Hey."

Jin shot to her feet, her eyes wide. "Cid? What are you doing?"

"I'm better."

She had been told that his recovery was going to be a slow one, and she couldn't quite accept this. "But they said…"

"I know, but I'm fine already." He walked right up to her and placed his arms around her.

Jin examined his face, finding that his color had returned and that he looked wonderful. Maybe he even looked a little younger. Tears came to her eyes and she rested her head against his chest, her relief washing over her.

L.C. in the meanwhile came over and tugged on his father's arm. "Dad?"

He looked down at his son. "What's up, kid?"

"Does this mean that we can go home?" the boy asked, eager to get back to Rocket.

"Yeah, it does." Cid smiled and the looked back into Jin's eyes. "It does."

---------------------------

Barrett was standing before the entrance to Cosmo Canyon, Marlene at his side. They were waiting for a plane to arrive to take them to Junon, so that he could get his adopted daughter settled into her dorm room. This was going to be her first year away from home, since she was going to be attending cooking school in the far off town. Marlene had long dreamed of becoming a chef, and her father had seen to it that her wish was going to come true.

"Dad, when is the plane supposed to get here?" she asked, clinging to his side.

"Don't know. Anytime." He looked down upon her with a smile. The fact that she was going to be gone for the next few years tore at his heart. He'd never really been away from her much over the years and he dreaded being without her. Barrett wouldn't be alone at least, since he still shared a home with Nanaki, his mate, and their now six cubs. "The charter company said it'd show up around four, an' it's ten past now."

Their attention was drawn upward as the drone of a plane's engines were heard over head. The craft circled twice, before setting down on the ground before them. The engines were cut and Barrett picked up his daughter's bags and started walking toward the craft.

When he was close enough, he noticed the faded painting on the side of the plane.

_Capt. C. Highwind_

Barrett was immediately confused. He'd tried to call Cid to get him to fly them to their destination, but there had been no answer at his home for several days. Not knowing where else to turn, he'd called a charter flight company since they were the only ones that offered service all the way out to Cosmo. Cid hadn't mentioned starting work for a charter company the last time they'd spoken.

The side door of the plane was flung open violently, and a cigarette was flung forth. The pilot hopped down to the ground. "You the passengers?"

Barrett's jaw dropped. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. The pilot was waiting for some sort of reply, a scowl on his face and his arms crossed over his chest. His weathered features were identical to Cid's, the only difference being that he was clearly close to seventy-five years old and crowned with snow-white hair.

Barrett shook himself out of his state and went closer. "Yeah, I'm Barrett and this is my daughter, Marlene."

The old man looked between Barrett and the young lady, the obvious question regarding their different races playing across his face, but he said nothing about it. "I'm Cid."

Barrett couldn't help but ask. "Cid?"

"Did I stutter, boy?" he shot back with his slight drawl, pulling out another cigarette and lighting up.

He bristled at being called 'boy', but steadied himself, opting to have more tact than the man before him. "No, it's just that you look an awful lot like my friend. He's a pilot, too, and his name happens to be Cid."

The pilot tensed his jaw and frowned. "Junior."

"What?" Barrett asked.

"You know Junior. I'm Captain Cid Highwind, Senior." The pilot turned and got back into the plane. "Come on, I don't have all fucking day."

Barrett looked at his daughter and then followed the pilot onto the plane. He and Marlene settled into their seats.

The elder Cid looked back at them for a moment. "So, you know my boy?"

Barrett nodded, after fastening his seat belt. "Yeah."

The old man narrowed his eyes and frowned again, before dropping his gaze away. "And how is he?"

"Fine. He and his son are great, last I heard," he replied.

"He and his son?" Capt. Highwind locked gazes with the other man once more, his scowl returning. "He's got a son?"

Barrett realized that he'd just stumbled into a very awkward and tense situation. "Yeah…he's got a seven year old."

"That fuckin' son of a bitch!" Capt. Highwind turned in his seat and gunned the plane's engines, pulling them up into the air quickly. He continued to curse to himself under his breath for nearly half an hour before flipping on the auto-pilot and turning back to his passengers. "And where in the hell is he living these days?"

Barrett wasn't really sure if he should relay this information if the old man didn't already know it, then again, he was in the guy's plane and his life was in his hands. "Rocket."

"Figures." He pulled out yet another cigarette and lit up, shutting them out from further conversation for the rest of the flight. Capt. Highwind clearly was not a particularly friendly individual.

---------------------------

Night settled, and Tifa put Aaron and Charlotte both to bed. She sat out in the kitchen for a long time, unwilling to turn in until she was absolutely certain that Vincent wasn't going to come by today. At half past midnight, she resolved that he wasn't coming and she got up, flipped off the light and went to bed.

She undressed and slipped between the sheets, pulling Vincent's pillow over to her. His scent was still upon it, although it had been mixed with Cid's somewhat. Tears came to her eyes once more and she eventually passed into sleep.

The kitchen door silently unlocked and Vincent slipped into the darkened house. He'd seen from the bedroom window that Tifa was in bed and asleep, making it safe for him to come in. With all of his Turk training, he knew how to move about undetected and he set about doing so. His first objective was to get to his son's room, since he'd not seen Aaron since his last time here-- and that hadn't been a pleasant encounter.

He opened Aaron's door and stepped inside, going close to his son's beside and kneeling down beside it. Vincent smiled as he looked at his boy, wishing that he could wake him and speak to him, but doing so meant that he ran the risk of Tifa knowing he was here, and he wasn't ready yet for that.

After observing Aaron for nearly half an hour, Vincent got up and left that room, going to the nursery. Charlotte was sleeping in her crib. He stared down at her in the dim night light, smiling to himself. She was perfect and although he'd only seen her twice now, he was hopelessly in love.

The baby stirred and awoke, starting to cry. Vincent realized that if this woke Tifa, she would rush in and catch him here. Not knowing what else to do, he reached down and picked up the infant, clutching her to his chest.

"It's all right, don't cry," he whispered to her, rocking her gently in his embrace. It may have been several years since his son had been a baby, but certain things one never loses.

Within a few seconds, Charlotte quieted down, blinking up at her father's face.

Vincent continued to smile at her. "Hey."

She made a small sound before her eyes fluttered close again and she fell back to sleep.

The former Turk was mesmerized by his new child and he stood there holding her for well over an hour while she slept. Eventually, he placed her back down into her crib and he left the room, having just one more thing to do.

He walked down the hall and opened the door to the master bedroom. Vincent walked toward the edge of the bed and knelt down much like he had in Aaron's room, except this time he was looking at Tifa. Even with all that had happened, he still loved her and found her beautiful. Vincent wanted to reach out and touch her, but he didn't dare, for fear of waking her.

He smiled faintly at her, but the vision of her being with Cid tormented him in the back of his mind. After just a few minutes he got back up and slipped from the house, going out the back door.

Vincent went around the side of the house and to where the small pond he'd dug for Tifa shortly after moving in was located. He landed upon the small bench beside it and gazed down into the water, seeing the fish hovering beneath the surface.

The memories of the time after he'd found her seven years ago began to play through his mind, making him nostalgic. Getting a home of her own, with a pond like this and a flock of chickens had been Tifa's only wish back then, and those had proven to be things that he could grant her. They had been so happy here together at first, but then that voice had come back into his mind, manipulating him and making him start to drink. It had been a constant downward slope from there. He regretted everything and knew that if he could get past the fact that she'd turned to Cid that he actually had a chance at working things out with her. Those two children within the house were counting on it, whether they knew it or not.

---------------------------

"Mom?"

Tifa rolled onto her back and opened her eyes, seeing Aaron standing at her bedside. "What's up, Sweetie?"

"I had a dream last night that Dad was here," he said quietly, sadness in his voice.

Tifa moved over and patted the mattress next to her, indicating that she wanted him to climb onto the bed with her. "Tell me."

Aaron lay down beside his mother on his side, propping his head up on his arm. "I dreamed that he was just beside my bed for a while last night. He didn't say anything, he just watched me."

She gave him a wide smile. "Guess what?"

He just looked at her in anticipation of her reply.

"I had the same dream," she admitted quietly. "I even woke up afterward and could have sworn that I smelled him. It was like he was really here."

"Maybe he was," Aaron said hopefully.

"I wish." Tifa smiled at him again before sitting up and stretching. "Did you sleep all right?"

"Yeah." Aaron slid back off the bed. "I'm gonna go have some cereal."

Tifa got up as well and dressed, before going and getting Charlotte from her crib. After nursing the baby, she could see that her daughter was still sleepy and she placed her back into the crib to rest a little longer. That done, Tifa went outside to go take care of some things.

She walked out and went to the shed, retrieving a bucket of chicken feed and going and dumping in on the lawn. Her flock of hens and the rooster came running and got to the serious task of eating, having been left to forage for the last several days.

Tifa watched them for a few minutes and smiled. "I'm sorry, guys. I should have called the neighbor and seen if she could have come and fed you."

Shortly thereafter, she returned to the shed and put the bucket down before getting a scoop of the fish food that was also in a bag here. Tifa made her way over to the pond and landed on the bench, flicking the pieces of fish food a few at a time out into the water, watching as they ate. Some of them were fairly big now, being close to six years old. The largest was a black and orange koi, being well over ten inches long.

Watching them made her think back to being in Wutai with Vincent, and tears came to her eyes. Tifa looked down at the bench she was sitting on, and ran her hands over the marks upon it. Over the years, Vincent had carved into it with his pocketknife, writing out various things in Wutain. Tifa had no idea what the marks meant, she'd never asked, and Vincent had felt silly about doing it in the first place and so hadn't volunteered their meaning.

Tifa would have been surprised to know what they were, though. As it turned out, Vincent was a far more sentimental creature than anyone ever would have made him out to be. These symbols all denoted specific events in he and Tifa's relationship, and listed were the dates of the first time he'd met her, the day he'd come to her seven years after Meteor, the first time she'd told him she loved him, their wedding, and Aaron's birthday.

As her eyes scanned this list, at the end of it, there was something fresh gouged into the wood-- something that hadn't been there yesterday. She scooted closer to it, and felt her heart race. Although she didn't know it, it was Charlotte's birthday, but she did know that it really meant. Vincent had been here, and he'd been here recently.

"Oh my God…" She let her fingers trace out the characters, somehow feeling a connection with Vincent as she did so. Aaron hadn't been dreaming-- he really had seen his father.

---------------------------

Cid, Jin, and L.C. left the ASRIO base and got onboard a train that would take them to Rocket. The pilot had been too impatient to wait for either the helicopter or airship to return to get them on their way and so had gone this route.

It took them well into the evening before they got home. Relieved to be back, Cid had walked into the house, grabbed a beer from the fridge, and had gone out and landed on the couch. Nothing was better than this.

Jin came and got to his side, also happy to be home. "Cid?"

He looked at her after taking a swig from his drink. "Yeah?"

"I quit my job."

His eyes went wide. "You told me that you were just going to cut back the number of hours that you were working!"

"Technically, I did." She offered him a faint smile. "But you know as well as I do that still would have meant me being gone for weeks at a time and if we're really going to give this being a family thing a shot, I figured that I had to quit."

Cid nodded at her shallowly, not believing that she'd done this. Working on the airship and keeping it airborne had been her first love as long as he'd known her. "But you really liked your work, Jin."

"I know, but there is an airship port here, and I figured that they probably need ground mechanics. I can maybe get a part time job doing that, then I can be home here every night."

This made Cid happy on a deep level. Although he'd always known that her work was important to her, he'd always dreaded those long breaks when she would have to go with the airship on several consecutive missions. He disliked being alone and without her, and so did L.C. This was the best news she could have given him. "Jin, that's great."

She smiled at him. "I know."


	32. Chapter 32

Just a quick hello and thank you to my long time readers! You know who you are!

Zelda, Jobi, Ann, Reno, Ezri, Sarion, Dragon Girl, Tifalee, and all the rest of you! I love you guys!

Chapter Thirty Two

Jaras and Jeanine got up early, having slept well in their own bed. They dressed and then walked hand in hand to the house of Jeanine's father, Brandon. Once on his doorstep, Jeanine rang the bell.

The doctor eventually answered. "Jeanine? Jaras? Where have the two of you been?"

They entered the house as he stepped aside and motioned for them to come in. Jaras and his wife landed on the couch, and waited for Brandon to make his way over to his chair.

Jeanine leaned forward, locking into her aging father's gaze. "Well, some things have happened."

Brandon was very interested. He'd wanted to see them a few days ago and had tried looking them up at home but they weren't there. Brandon had then gone to the bookstore, but Jaras' assistant was running it alone, not knowing where his boss had gone off to. This had worried him greatly, and he was relieved to have them here now. Still, he could see that there were serious issues on their minds. "What's going on?"

"Well, apparently Shinra finally received word that I was here," Jaras said quietly, holding on to Jeanine's hand. "I was kidnapped by them and taken to Junon."

Brandon looked at his daughter, searching for an explanation. "And you didn't tell me?"

"I didn't have a chance. At the same time Shinra was taking him away, ASRIO had me go to their base, fearing that something might happen to me if I stayed." Her voice wavered in her memory of fear.

Brandon drew his hands up to his mouth and gasped. "Good God, what happened?"

Jaras dropped his gaze to the floor. "Shinra took me to their Junon lab and I was placed in the custody of Dr. Methius."

The older man's eyes narrowed and he rose up from his seat. "Not Dr. Peirte Methius?"

"You know him?" Jeanine asked, seeing the expression in her father's eyes.

"I went to medical school with him. He was some sort of prodigy and while the rest of us in the class were in our late twenties, he was only like twelve or thirteen." Brandon fell back into his chair, feeling like the wind had been knocked out of him. "It figures that Shinra would have snatched him up."

"In any case," Jaras sighed, "he sought to remake me into Sephiroth."

Brandon knit his brow and shook his head. "Why?"

"I have no idea. I suppose that he figured I could be restored to my old work for the company or some such." He shrugged. "I was injected with Jenova."

"Oh no…" Brandon couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Jaras, if that happened, why are you still…Jaras?"

"We will get to that." He held his wife's hand tighter. Jaras proceeded to relate the tale to his father-in-law in its entirety, eventually getting to the part where his own sense of right and wrong returned thanks to his love for Jeanine, and his betrayal of Vincent to set things straight.

Upon hearing the whole story, Brandon nodded, accepting what he'd learned. "But the Jenova's effects upon you…they have subsided?"

"Mentally, I would say they have to some degree, although in the few times that I've been agitated since then I've been a little quicker to anger than before. Physically, however, I've continued to change." Jaras' voice reflected his regret of the situation.

"How so?" Brandon asked.

"My body has continued to strengthen and as of the other morning, I no longer need my glasses to read." He smiled faintly.

"We have to stop it, Jaras." Brandon steepled his fingers before his face as he delved into thought. "It will continue to multiply within you and eventually, its mental effects will return and inevitably drive you insane like before. It will be a slow process since you only received the one injection of it, leaving the Jenova to reproduce on its own, but it will happen."

This was exactly what Jaras was afraid to hear. "You believe that?"

"I do." Brandon let his hands fall to his lap. "After I found you, I studied enough on the subject of Jenova experimentation to learn that."

"Then what can we do?" Jaras asked, knowing that he had to do something in order to keep himself sane. Becoming dangerous when he had a child on the way just wasn't an option.

"There is only one thing that can rectify Jenova infection."

Jeanine shook her head. "Dad, we can't just throw him into the Lifestream and hope that he survives!"

Brandon offered her a smile. "I'm not talking about throwing him in, Jeanine, but he will have to undergo Mako exposure to kill those cells within him. We can do it safely, like the Mako injections that they used to give to SOLDIERs. If we make it a gradual process, there is no doubt in my mind that he'll make it through just fine. Besides, Jaras, you've already proven to have an amazing tolerance for Mako poisoning."

Jaras thought about this for a few moments and then nodded. "Then that is what we have to do. Brandon, I do have one other question for you, though."

"What's that?"

"If a man was infected with Jenova and he were to impregnate a woman, what are the possible side effects upon the baby?" Jaras asked, feeling color come to his cheeks.

Brandon stood up from his chair and his eyes went wide. "Jeanine…you're pregnant?"

She smiled and nodded. "Yes."

"And you're sure that the pregnancy took place after the Jenova exposure?" He took a few steps closer to them.

"When ASRIO took me to their base, I forgot to take my birth control pills along with me and after Jaras returned…" Jeanine couldn't go into any further explanation with her father.

"Oh…" The doctor shook his head and met his daughter's gaze. "I…I don't know what could possibly happen."

Jeanine and Jaras both felt chills run down their spines. The thought that the Jenova could ultimately have some sort of effect upon their long awaited child terrified both of them.

---------------------------

Cid was lying in his bed, despite the fact that it was well past six in the morning. Jin tended to like sleeping in when she could and he wasn't going to move until she awoke. He'd just lain here holding her for an hour and a half.

Suddenly, something caught his attention. It was a faint sound at first, but it got louder and Cid recognized it for what it was. Instinctively, he leapt from his bed, knocking Jin to the side and startling her.

She looked over at him as he rushed to the dresser and began to dress hurriedly. "Cid? What's wrong?"

"Plane."

"What?" She was still too tired to notice the drone of engines over the house.

Cid pulled on a tank top and faced her as he buttoned his jeans. "Someone's circling over the house in a plane."

Jin then noticed it. "Well who could that be?"

"I don't fucking know, but I figure they're probably setting' down to see me." Cid came over and landed on the edge of the bed to pull on his shoes.

Jin got out of bed as well, going to go take a shower before dressing. She would be quick about it, curious as to who was in the air as well.

Once dressed, Cid stepped out of the bedroom and made his way down the hall, running into L.C. on the way.

The boy's eyes twinkled. "Dad, sounds like an PL-137."

He smiled at his son and tousled his hair. "Sure does, let's go see."

They made their way from the house and out into the landing field behind it. Both of them looked up into the sky, seeing the plane that was the source of the sound. Just as L.C. had said, it was a PL-137.

Cid placed his arm around his son's shoulders. "Good call, kid."

"I'm the best, like I've said." L.C. was developing the same egocentric confidence as his father, and Cid wouldn't have had it any other way.

The plane over head banked one last time and descended in preparation for landing. It swayed gently in the light crosswind as it neared the ground, crabbing slightly before straightening out and touching down on the earthen airstrip.

The plane's well used engines sputtered to a stop as they were cut, and the plane was thusly parked right on the airstrip. Obviously, whoever was flying it wasn't well-versed in common courtesy, else they would have pulled off of the strip and parked elsewhere, not that anyone was going to be landing here for some time to come.

Cid remained with his boy examining the aircraft, waiting for it's pilot to emerge. He squinted his eyes, trying to make out the numbers on the tale of the plane and as he made them out, his heart sank. "Oh for the love of fucking God!"

"What's wrong, Dad?" L.C. asked, turning his eyes up to his father.

Cid recognized his father's plane thanks to its call numbers and took L.C.'s hand in his own and pulled him quickly back toward the house.

"Dad!" L.C. was still anxious to see who their visitor was.

"Don't argue, let's just get back in the God damned house and lock the door!" Cid pulled his boy along relentlessly, having no intention of facing his old man.

Once inside, Cid slammed the door and locked it behind him. He looked down at L.C. and pointed his finger at him. "Don't you answer that door, you got me?"

The boy didn't understand why his father was so angry. "O…okay."

"Good." Cid straightened up and took a deep breath, trying to calm himself.

Jin emerged into the kitchen and looked over at her husband. It was clear from his expression and body language that he was deeply disturbed by something at the moment, and the way that L.C. also looked upset profoundly worried her. "What's going on?"

"Nothin', just don't answer that fuckin' door," Cid growled over at her, scowling.

"Why? What's going on?" She asked again and went closer to him, not willing to just let him leave it at that.

"Someone's out there that isn't welcome here." Cid didn't feel like explaining himself further and he spun, marching back to the bedroom and slamming the door. He went over to the bed and sat heavily upon it, leaning forward and placing his head in his hands. Facing his father was something he never had wanted to deal with again as long as he lived. There had been a time when Cid was a boy and he'd looked up to the man and had loved him, but as he'd grown up, Cid had come to appreciate exactly what sort of man his father truly was. Then had come the last time they'd seen one another. That had been the last nail in the coffin of their relationship as far as he was concerned.

Jin remained in the kitchen with L.C. She went over to the window and looked out, seeing the door on the side of the airplane open up. In silence, she watched as the pilot emerged out into the morning light, stretching once free of the confines of the aircraft. He then pulled out a pack of cigarettes and got one out and between his lips before lighting up and taking a few long drags. He was an older man, not unlike Cid in stature and build and he looked harmless enough. If her husband wasn't willing to tell her why this man wasn't welcome, then she would go and meet him for herself to figure out what the problem was.

"Stay here, L.C., I'm going to go see what's going on." Jin went over to the door and unlocked it.

"Okay." The boy was too confused by everything to dare and disobey. Besides, he was hungry and he had toaster pastries waiting for him in the freezer.

Satisfied that her stepson would stay put, Jin walked out of the house and made her way toward the plane. The man standing beside it seemed to notice her approach and he shoved his hands into his pockets and began walking toward her.

As he neared her, Jin was struck with the resemblance between this man and Cid. Their faces, despite their age differences were strikingly similar. His silver hair was short and combed back, also mocking Cid's usual style. The old man's blue eyes were obscured by his slight scowl, but it was clear that he was heavily scrutinizing her in return. For his age, he was damn good looking.

When they were just a short distance apart, Jin offered him a warm smile. "Hi, can I help you?"

He stopped before her and extended one of his hands. "Yeah, I'm lookin' for Junior."

"Who?" Jin accepted his handshake, appreciating the strength of his grip.

"My boy, Cid Junior." His eyes scanned her up and down, seeming to approve of what he saw. His lips curled in a smirk.

Jin's jaw dropped. Cid had claimed that both of his parents had been dead for a long time, but there was no denying the fact that this man had to be his father. "You're Cid's dad?"

"Yeah," he said curtly, looking past her and toward the house. "I saw that coward run inside right after I landed. Where's he hidin'?"

Jin didn't know what she was supposed to say. If Cid had been denying this man's continued existence for the last several years, then surely he had his reasons, but having lost her own parents, she couldn't understand how anyone could so blatantly try to shut their father out of their life. "He's inside, I can go see if I can get him to come out."

"Right." He pulled his spent cigarette from his lips and flicked it off into the distance. "And you are?"

"I'm Jin, Cid's wife." Again, she offered him a smile.

He cocked and eyebrow and examined her for a few seconds. "I'll be damned. I'm Cid Highwind, Senior."

Jin couldn't help but laugh a little to hear this. Her husband was a carbon copy of this man in every way, down to his name. "If you wait here, I'll go see if I can get him."

"You do that." He gave her a wink and shoved his hands back into his pockets, turning away from her to examine the scenery.

Jin jogged back to the house and ran inside, ignoring L.C. who was now at the kitchen table working on his breakfast. She went straight back to the bedroom, seeing that Cid was sitting on the bed.

He looked over at her, his eyes narrowed in his frustration. "You went out there and talked to him, didn't you?"

"Since you didn't bother to give me a good reason not to, yes I did." Jin went over and sat beside him. "Why have you claimed that he was dead all of these years, Cid?"

The pilot dropped his gaze away from her and slouched forward further. "I don't wanna get into that."

"Well, you're going to, because I'm your wife and I think I have a right to know why you've been lying about your father's death all along." Jin crossed her arms over her chest, unwilling to let him dodge this.

"Because the man is a low life and I don't want anything to do with him." His voice was little more than a growl as the long pent up resentment he felt for his father welled up.

"What did he do?" Jin asked, not yet satisfied.

Telling her the story would make him seem like the biggest fucking hypocrite in the universe and he didn't want to. "It doesn't matter."

"Yes, it does!" Jin stood up and got right in front of him. "You tell me what's going on!"

"All right, sit down." Cid sighed deeply and shook his head. "Growin' up, I mostly lived with my mom. My dad was gone most of the time since as a pilot he had to travel a lot. Now, when he was around he'd take me flying and I thought he was the greatest person in the world. When I was about thirteen, though, he and my mother got a divorce, because she found out that he'd been having an affair with another woman…who happened to be his best friend's wife."

Jin landed back at his side and gawked at him in silence. She realized that saying anything at this point would just cause him to get pissed and end the story.

"So, after that, he continued seeing that other woman, her name was Joanna if I recall, and eventually she left her husband for him, although they never got married, and it was revealed that her twelve year old son was actually my father's. He'd been cheating on my mom since right after I was born." He closed his eyes and fought back the bitter emotions that were trying to force their way through. "I didn't see much of him after the divorce and I never met my half brother-- hell, I don't even know his fuckin' name. Seventeen years ago when my mother died, the old man came to the funeral and I'll be damned if that fucker didn't bring Joanna along with him… I couldn't believe it, I mean, bringing the woman he'd left my mother for to her God damned funeral! After that, I cut my ties with the guy. I was done with him and his bullshit."

Jin sighed and put her arm around his shoulders. "Cid…I think you should go see him. I mean, obviously he came here for a reason, and maybe…I don't know, maybe you and he can work things out."

"Damn it." He shook his head. "I'm just like him, Jin. I did the same fucking thing! How can I face him now?"

"Cid, he has no idea what you've done, and it wasn't exactly the same thing. You made a mistake with Tifa, but you didn't carry on some huge years long affair with her and you yourself weren't married at the time, and you didn't have a child with her, either." Jin hated discussing this, but it had to be done.

"I wasn't married, but Tifa was and that kid she had could have been mine, it was just a fluke that she turned out to be Sue's baby. Now, he's hiding from her because he caught her and me together. I probably destroyed their marriage or at the very least, I sure as hell didn't help it. I've proven that I've got the old man's same crappy sense of right and wrong. If he found out, he'd never let me live it down, Jin." Cid looked over at her, his eyes reddened by the tears that he was fighting.

"Like I said, he doesn't have to find out about that. I really do think you should go out there and see him, Cid." Jin rose up from the bed. "I can't make you, but that's what I think you should do. At the very least, you should let the man meet his grandson."

He huffed and got up, shaking his head. "This is going to be the worst day of my life."

"Knock it off, Cid." Jin let her tone become forceful. "It is not, I know that for a fact. Now get out there and at least see your father for a few minutes. He's an old man, and he's probably not going to be around for a long time. You're lucky you've been given this chance to make amends with him, so you need to fucking take it."

Cid cocked and eyebrow at her and smiled. "You're being demanding."

"And unless you'd like me to continue doing so, you'll go out there and see him." Jin shot back, knowing that Cid's mind had just wandered _way_ off track.

"Fine." He trudged out of the room and headed for the back door to the house. It took every last bit of will he had to open the door and step outside. His father was standing with his back turned as he was gazing over at his plane.

Cid walked toward him in silence, running through a gamut of curses in his mind as he went. If it weren't for Jin, he wouldn't be doing this at all and for a moment he regretted the timing of his father's arrival and she and his reconciliation.

Once he figured he was close enough, Cid cleared his throat. "Hey."

The elder Highwind turned around and looked at his son for a few seconds. "Junior."

"Don't call me that." Cid's eyes narrowed in his dislike for that name.

"It's your fuckin' name, kid." The old man took a step closer. "So what's this shit about you havin' a boy?"

Cid wondered exactly how much Jin had said to him during their brief discussion. "What about it?"

"I was told that you had a son seven years back, and you never bothered to tell me?" He crossed his arms over his chest, his scowl returning. "I never woulda' found out either, if I hadn't picked up a friend of yours for a charter trip the other day."

Cid needed a name so he knew whose ass to kick for revealing this to his father. "Who would that be?"

"Some big mother, named Barrett I do believe." Cid's father let his arms fall back to his sides before pulling out yet another cigarette.

__

Well, I can't very well kick Barrett's ass, I guess I'll have to let this one slide, Cid thought silently. As his father lit up, he frowned. "There ain't no smoking around here."

"What in the hell are you talking about?" he asked, already having a plume of smoke coming up from the end of his cigarette. "You smoke so why in the hell shouldn't I?"

"No, I don't anymore, and I haven't for seven years." Cid was starting to feel a little intimidated by the man before him. His father had always had that particular effect upon him.

"Oh, you gave into that politically correct bullshit about it bein' bad for you?" Cid Sr. shot back.

"Yeah, because it is, old man." Cid didn't feel the need to go into his recent brush with death thanks to lung cancer, and what did he care if the old man chose to keep it up? He was already seventy-five years old and was bound to die of old age before cancer played its hand. "Just don't do it around my boy."

"Speakin' of which, where is my grandson?"

Cid tensed his jaw and turned back toward the house, spotting Jin and L.C. on the porch. He waved his son over and they boy came running.

As he saw the boy approach, the old man pulled the still fresh cigarette from his lips and dropped it to the ground. He would humor his son in this small request.

L.C. got to his dad's side and stopped. "Who is this?"

Cid put his hand on his son's shoulder. "L.C., this is your grandfather."

The boy's eyes went wide and a smile came to his lips. "I've got a grandfather?"

Cid Sr. knelt down to be on the boy's level. "Come over here."

He did as asked, and found himself faced with the older version of his dad. "Hi."

"God damn, Junior, he looks just like you used to," the old man said approvingly. "What's your name, boy?"

L.C. puffed up a bit. "Cid Augustus Highwind the Third, but everyone calls me L.C."

"Huh, you hate me, Junior, but you passed on the name again anyway?" he said, looking back up at Cid.

"It's my name, too," Cid replied quietly, suddenly feeling a little self-conscious about things. He dared to ask, "How's Joanna?"

Cid's father patted L.C. on the shoulder and then stood back up, his eyes taking on a look of sadness. "She's gone, Junior. Passed away about four years ago."

He didn't know what to say in response to that, and so said nothing.

The old man took a deep breath and knit his brow. "And your half brother… I haven't spoken to him in years. Once his mom died, he didn't feel the need to keep in contact with me, either. Hell, I guess that wasn't a surprise, the kid never even took my last name, just using his mother's. Guess he don't like me much, either."

The sound of loneliness in his father's voice didn't get by without Cid's notice. In his curiosity, he asked, "What's my half brother's name?"

Cid Sr. shrugged. "Bradley Johnathan O'Malley."

Cid held his breath. The thought that Brad was his brother had never crossed his mind and surely Brad had known all along and never said anything. After all, how many Cid Highwinds could there be? The chopper pilot must've known from the moment that he and Cid met in the service all those years ago, but he'd never let on. Cid couldn't help but wonder why. Brad had a lot of explaining to do in the near future.

His father noticed the strange look that overcame Cid's face. "Somethin' wrong?"

"No, just…I know him."

Cid Sr. cocked an eyebrow. "You know him and he ain't never said nothin' about you being his brother?"

He smiled. "Not a damn word."

"Figures. Brad ain't right, never has been." The old man motioned back toward the house. "So, that's your wife?"

"Yeah."

"The kid's mom?"

Cid looked over his shoulder at Jin as she remained on the porch. "Naw, my first wife had L.C."

The old man suddenly looked full of himself. "Oh, so Mr. High and Mighty has gone through more than one wife?"

Cid's anger surfaced. "L.C.'s mother died, old man. I didn't have a failed marriage with her."

"Oh, my mistake." He raised his hands in defense. "I guess you still are just the fuckin' epitome of perfection, then."

__

Kick his ass right here and now. Show the bastard exactly how you feel about him, Cid.

Cid turned around, searching for the source of the voice that he'd just heard so clearly. After realizing that there was no one behind him and that no one else seemed to have heard, he resolved that it had just been in his head. After all, he was profoundly stressed. "Shut the fuck up."

L.C. became acutely aware of the tension between his dad and grandfather and he started to back away. "I'm gonna go back in the house."

"We're upsettin' the kid," the older man said, placing his hands on his hips.

"Damn it." Cid immediately felt bad. He didn't want what would probably be L.C.'s only memory of his grandfather to be a bad one. "Let's just pretend that we can get along for a while. I don't want to make him miserable. He's had enough of that shit lately."

"Fine." Cid's father narrowed his eyes. "Does that mean that you're gonna let me stay here for a bit?"

"Today and tomorrow, and then I want you on that plane and out of here." Cid turned and started walking back toward the house. "I want my kid to remember you."

"Whatever you want, Junior." He followed along at a distance toward the house.

---------------------------

Tifa had gone through the previous day and this one, constantly wondering what she should do. The fact that Vincent had made those marks on the bench meant something-- something important. In some way, he was communicating to her with what he'd written there, although it was in Wutain and beyond her understanding.

As night settled in, Tifa put Aaron to bed and then nursed Charlotte and placed her into her crib. Again, she sat at the kitchen table, hoping that Vincent would come to the door, but by the time midnight rolled around, still there had been nothing.

She rose from her seat and then started to head back toward her bedroom, but something stopped her. Suddenly, Tifa understood. She grabbed her coat from the closet and pulled it on, before going out into the darkness and over to the pond. Tifa made her way over to the bench and sat down. The only sound to be heard were the crickets and the quiet trickle of the pond's circulation.

It had been a long time since she'd come here in the night and she stared at the reflection of the night sky upon the water's surface. The lighter colored fish could be seen gliding beneath the surface, looking as though they were flying through space, between the stars and moon. There was something surreal about it, and she found herself hypnotized.

Tifa became completely relaxed in her tiredness, and the cool air of the night along with the sounds that met her ears in a soothing song mixed together to lull her into exhaustion. She melted back into the bench and closed her eyes, resolving to just rest for a moment. There was no intention in her heart of falling asleep-- none whatsoever.

Within two minutes, she was completely out.

Vincent arrived at the house close to one in the morning. He walked around the side of the house, wondering if Tifa had noticed his inscription and hoping that her resolve to see him would prove strong enough to keep her waiting this long. He'd given her two days to notice his inscription and he wondered if she'd yet seen it.

He spotted her sitting on the bench, asleep. Her right hand was stretched out from her side, resting upon the characters he'd drawn into the bench two nights before. Tifa's presence coupled with her gesture of keeping her hand upon his writing broke through the wall that Vincent had put up around his heart. There was no way that he could stay away from her any longer. Vincent needed her, affair or not. After all, he'd remained in love with Lucrecia for ages and what she'd put him through had been worse by far that Tifa's lapses in judgement. He knew that she hadn't set out to hurt him.

Vincent went around the back of the bench and lightly placed his hands upon her shoulders, and bent down so that his lips were close to her ear. Barely audible, he whispered, "Tifa…wake up."

Her eyes slowly opened, and she felt the warmth of his hands upon her shoulders. For a moment, she didn't dare look back. Either this was a dream and Vincent wasn't really here, or there was a stranger behind her with some malicious intent. Her voice trembled. "Vincent?"

His mouth was still close to the side of her face, and as he replied, Tifa could feel the heat of his breath. "Yes."

Tifa closed her eyes and instantly felt the burn of tears. She reached up and covered his hands with her own. The way he felt was familiar after all the years they'd been together. Slowly, she tilted her head back, until she found herself looking up at him as he stood behind her. Her lips pulled back into a regretful smile. "I thought you'd never let me see you again."

Vincent's expression reflected hers. "I said that I would see you here, and I kept my word."

Tifa felt dampness trail back from the corners of her eyes. "I've missed you."

"And I you." Vincent bent forward and let his lips meet hers lightly for a few seconds, before he straightened back up.

She gazed up into his eyes, even in this light able to appreciate the fact that they were again that familiar and yet strange crimson once more. And there he was. The blood red eyes, the red cloak-- for the moment resting unbuckled upon his shoulders, the completely black outfit on underneath. It was Vincent, her Vincent, the _old_ Vincent. Her emotions welled forth in a tidal wave and she rose up from the bench and ran around it and into his awaiting arms.

Tifa rested her cheek against his chest, more tears spilling from her. His arms held her tight, his familiar and comforting scent enveloping her. "Oh God, Vincent…I'm so sorry! I know we have a lot to talk about, but--"

He cut her off by bringing her out to arm's length. Vincent locked into her gaze and shook his head just the smallest amount. "No, not tonight. All I want tonight is a simple thing."

"I'd do anything, Vincent!" Tifa couldn't help but fear him departing or awaking to find out that this had all been a dream.

"Then do this." He pulled her close again. "Take me into the house and let me sleep in my own bed, with my wife in my arms, where she belongs. That is all I want."

Tifa searched his gaze for a few seconds, seeing the honestly in this statement. She then dropped her stare down to the hand he had against her left shoulder and then reached up and clutched it within her own. Slowly, she began to move toward the back door to the house, pulling Vincent along with her. Tifa never took her eyes from him, fearing that if she did so, he would somehow vanish.

Vincent continued to follow her, keeping his gaze locked with hers as she took him back to the bedroom. Once inside, he locked the door behind him and leaned back against it, admiring her.

Tifa stood there before him, wondering what she should do. Part of her wanted nothing more than to make love to him at that moment, but it hadn't been long enough since she'd had Charlotte and any attempt to do so would have been unbearably painful. "Vincent?"

He cocked an eyebrow. "Yes?"

"What…what do you want?" she asked, her voice again wavering.

"I already told you." He pushed his cloak off, allowing it to fall to the floor. "To hold you and sleep. Nothing more."

Tifa came forward and put her arms around him, looking up at him. "Then that's what we'll do."

Vincent couldn't help himself, and he kissed her again, this time deeply. For the moment, there was no thought given to all that had gone wrong over the years, no image of Cid with his wife in his mind. This was how it was supposed to be and he was damned if he was going to let it slip through his fingers again.

Shortly thereafter, they shed their clothing and slipped into the bed together. Vincent slept on his back, with Tifa nestled against his side, her arm draped over his waist. They both slept better that night than they had in years. Vincent was home, and he intended to stay.


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter Thirty Three

Aaron woke up and stared up at the ceiling for several minutes, thinking. In his morning tiredness, his mind drifted over many things. He gave passing thought to L.C. forgiving him and what it had felt like when the demon had taken him over. Also came fleeting consideration of L.C.'s father, but Aaron quickly pushed those thoughts to the side. Then he wondered about his brother, Jaras. Knowing that Jaras was going to be a father saddened Aaron on some level. He knew that with a child of his own, the amount of time and attention he would get from Jaras would diminish and although Aaron wasn't jealous, it did hurt.

Finally, he sat up and got out of bed, figuring that laying there dwelling on life in general wasn't going to help him at all. The boy opened the door to his bedroom and stepped into the hall. He heard Charlotte making quiet sounds in the nursery and he headed toward his mother's room, intending to let her know that the baby was up.

Aaron reached out and tried to open the door to the master bedroom, but found it locked. He thought this strange as it was usually left unlocked. Still, the boy had a trick and was determined to get in. He went out into the kitchen and opened the junk drawer and searched around inside of it for a moment, before coming up with one of the long and narrow shafted screwdrivers that his father kept for gun repair. With this in hand, Aaron returned to the door and slipped the tool silently into the lock release on the outside of the door and turned it just right so that the latch released. That done, he went and put the screwdriver back in the kitchen before returning and opening the door.

As he pushed it open, it met resistance and Aaron looked down, seeing that there was a little bit of red fabric under the door. He had the door open enough that he could reach inside and he knelt down and did so, to get a hold of whatever was inhibiting the door's movement. He pulled and got the item, bringing it out and looking at it.

Aaron's eyes went wide. It was the cloak his father had gotten right before leaving. The boy began to shake, hoping beyond hope that this meant that his father was within.

Once more he pushed on the door, and this time it swung open freely. Aaron stepped forward slowly, clutching the cloak to his chest. He walked over to his father's side of the bed and smiled as he saw what he had most hoped to. Unable to contain himself, he dropped the cloak to the ground and threw himself onto his father. "Dad!"

Vincent woke with a start, feeling Aaron suddenly lying upon him. He remained on his back for a few moments, putting his arms around Aaron as the boy cried against him briefly. "Hey, Aaron."

Tifa got up quietly, wanting Vincent and Aaron to have their moment. She left the room to go take care of Charlotte.

Aaron finally got himself together and he sat up, remaining at Vincent's side. "I…I was worried that I'd never see you again."

Vincent sat up as well, leaning back against the headboard. He looked into Aaron's eyes, seeing them now the same red as his own. "I would never have left you forever, Aaron."

The boy looked over, seeing that his mother had disappeared for the time being. "Are you going to stay?"

He gave his son a smile and reached out, patting the boy on the back. "I am."

"Okay." Aaron grinned. He knew that the worst was now over, at least as far as his family was concerned. "I really didn't want Cid as a dad."

Vincent sighed and looked away. "I wouldn't wish that upon you."

Aaron moved so that he was sitting shoulder to shoulder with his father, cuddling into his side. "But, you and mom…you're not going to fight anymore, right?"

Vincent knew that his son needed comforting and he put his arm around him, holding him close. "I've come to understand where most of the fighting was coming from, and it's something that has been dealt with. I know your mother and I will need to work on some things, but Aaron, I swear to you that things will be better."

Tifa returned, with Charlotte in her arms. She came over and sat close to Vincent and Aaron. "Vincent?"

He looked over at his wife. "Yes?"

She held Charlotte out toward him. "Want to hold her?"

Before she'd finished her question, he was already reaching for the baby girl. Vincent pulled the little girl close to his chest and smiled down at her. "Tifa?"

"Hm?"

He brought his eyes up from his daughter's face. "I was really touched that you named her Charlotte."

"I thought it was…your last wish." Tears threatened in her eyes, when she suffered the memory of Reno coming to tell her Vincent was dead.

Aaron, sensing that things were heading into serious territory, slipped from the bed and headed toward the kitchen. He was going to have some breakfast.

Vincent offered her a brief smile as Aaron walked out, but it quickly faded. "However, her middle name…I'm guessing that was a result of you thinking that Cid was her father?"

Tifa flushed red and looked away. "Oh…well…yeah, but we can change it."

Vincent shook his head and looked back down at the baby. "No, it's fine. He's been an important part of our lives over the years, despite certain…indiscretions."

"Are you sure?" Tifa was willing to give Vincent whatever he wanted, for fear that she'd lose him again. His departure had gotten her attention in a big way.

He sighed and then gazed back over at her. "Yes, Tifa. If it wasn't, I would say so."

She offered him a smile. "Okay."

"Tifa?" Vincent once more looked over at her.

"Yes?"

"She's beautiful." His voice grew quiet. "Another perfect baby, and you…already look great."

Tifa figured he was just being nice with that last comment. "Vincent…you don't have to pretend that everything's fine. Go ahead and let it out…I deserve it for what I did."

He shook his head and frowned. "I am to blame as well. Everything…all of this, we both bear the blame. I should have been more honest with you."

"Honest?"

Vincent nodded. "Yes. When I started having the seizures, part of me knew what was really going on, but I tried to deny it. It was Chaos. No longer being able to take over my body, when he'd fight me, I'd seize. He's been in the back of my mind, influencing my thoughts. I drank to push him away. He…he wanted to destroy our marriage, hoping that I would finally get upset enough at some point so that he could come out. I guess his plan worked in a way."

Tifa absorbed all of this, the story making sense. "And as I felt alienated from you…I started to rely on Cid too much."

"Too much." Vincent looked back down at his daughter.

"Vincent, why did you save Cid? I mean, after all that we did, he said you got him someplace where he could get back to ASRIO." Tifa scooted a little closer to him.

"Because he…" Vincent's voice trailed off for a moment. "I kept thinking about L.C. I couldn't let that kid lose his father. Cid is the most important thing in that boy's life. I had to save him and to be honest with you, Tifa, I…I wasn't as mad at him once he was there for a while as I thought I would be. For a while, we were even joking around." Vincent's lips pulled up into a grin. "He made me believe in the morning that he'd died in the night, scaring me. I, however, got my revenge."

Tifa cocked her head to the side, wondering what Vincent could have done to get the better of the pilot. "How?"

Vincent's cheeks turned red. "Well, I sort of led him to believe for a few minutes that…I was in love with him."

Tifa's jaw dropped, and then she started laughing. "Oh my God! What did he do?"

"Abject panic. Well worth it, I assure you." Vincent was rather pleased with the reaction he'd gotten from the other man.

"Wow, that…that was a little more than I would have expected from you!" she managed, between giggles.

"I couldn't resist. He had it coming after his little prank that morning." Vincent saw that Charlotte had fallen asleep and he carefully placed her down on the mattress next to him, before getting off of the bed.

As he started to walk past her and toward the dresser, Tifa reached out and grabbed one of his hands, pulling him before her as she still sat on the bed. She put her arms around his waist and rested her cheek against his stomach. "Vincent…"

He brought his right hand up and stroked her hair, gazing down at her. "Yes?"

"I love you."

Vincent smiled. "I love you, too."

-------------------------------

Six in the morning and Cid crawled out of bed. He'd been up late as Jin and his father had sat talking about every possible embarrassing childhood moment of his that the old man could remember. Cid had said little to his dad during the conversation, leaving the social interaction up to his wife. After all, she'd been the one to insist that he go out and acknowledge his father in the first place.

As he dressed, Jin roused from her sleep and rolled onto her side to watch him. "Hey."

"What's up?" Cid said under his breath as he pulled on his boxers.

"Your dad's a riot," she said lazily.

"He seemed to be on a mission to try and embarrass the hell out of me last night, thank you very much." Cid now had a tee shirt on as well.

Jin sat up and ran her hands through her hair. "No, he was just reminiscing. The fact that he remembers all of those little things shows how much he really loves you, Cid."

He crossed his arms over his chest and looked back at her. "Look, I ain't just ending the last seventeen years of silence based on the fact you like the guy's stories."

Jin got up and walked over to him. "I didn't ask you to."

Cid cocked an eyebrow and looked her up and down. Jin always slept in the nude and he approved. "Yeah, well, still. He and I got some issues."

"Everyone has issues, Cid." She slid her arms around his waist.

Since he hadn't gotten any time alone with her the day before after his father's arrival, Cid had something to tell her. "Remember that half brother I mentioned?"

Jin just nodded in response.

"I asked him yesterday who he was, since I never knew, and you're never gonna guess who in the hell it is." Cid put his arms around her in return, loving the way she felt against him.

"Is it someone we know?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"Oh…" Jin took a step back and thought for a moment. "If I had to take a wild guess at it… and this is just a wild guess, I'd have to say maybe…Brad?"

Cid was impressed, but wasn't going to let her know that she was correct right away. "Why would you pick him?"

"Because he's a darker haired version of you, Cid," Jin laughed. "He might not be quite as foul mouthed as you, but he's always reminded me of you in a lot of ways. Except he flies that lame ass chopper instead of airships and planes, you know, the aircraft of _real_ men."

Cid smiled at her insinuated compliment. "Well, Jin, you're dead on with your guess."

Her eyes went wide. "Are you serious?"

"Deadly serious." Cid crossed his arms over his chest again.

"Okay, I can believe that, and I can understand you never knowing, but if old man Highwind is Brad's dad, too, then surely Brad put two and two together and knew that you were his brother, even if you didn't." Jin's eyes narrowed in thought.

"Right, so the question is why in the hell ain't he said nothin' all these years? I've known the guy since we were in the service together." Cid himself couldn't really understand.

Jin went over and picked up the phone, holding it out to her husband. "Find out."

"Not this early." Cid didn't take the phone from her.

"Fine." Jin turned away from him and began dialing Brad's number.

"Hey!" Cid tackled her, knocking her back to the bed and sending the phone flying from her hand. "I said not this early!"

Jin struggled beneath him for a moment, but she was pinned under him on her stomach. "Let me up!"

Cid didn't exactly move to let her free, in fact, he reached out and grabbed her wrists, holding them to the bed so that she was effectively trapped. "Naw, I don't think so."

With her arms out of commission, Jin tried to wriggle free using her legs, but as she flailed, his legs got between hers, making her position that much more vulnerable to him. "Get up, damn it!"

Cid put his lips close to her ear. There was a fire burning within him, despite the fact he usually wasn't one for morning romps. "I am."

Jin quit struggling beneath him, realizing what was on his mind from his tone and the way he pushed his hips against her. "Oh…"

Cid reached down and pushed his boxers back. He wasn't used to the level of sexual aggression he was feeling and he couldn't fight it. "You got a problem with that?"

Jin wasn't necessarily used to him being this much of an aggressor, especially this early in the day. She decided to play along. "No, Sir."

"That's right." In one swift movement, he forced his way into her with her still lying on her stomach beneath him.

Jin cried out at his sudden and rough intrusion. "Cid!"

He growled as he starting thrusting hard, his mouth still close to her ear. "Shut up."

Something was wrong and Jin knew it. Once more she started to struggle beneath him, but there was no getting away. Cid outweighed her considerably and he was very strong. Instead of the usual bliss that he always was able to throw her into with his prowess, Jin was in pain from the angle and violence of his drives into her. "Get off!"

Once more came a growl from him. "Soon, Jin…"

"Damn it, Cid! You're hurting me!" Jin was getting scared, and her fighting became stronger, but still, she couldn't get out from under him.

_Don't listen to her! It's good for her to be on the receiving end of the pain every once in a while._

Cid snapped back into control of himself and stopped moving, panting to catch his breath and downright terrified to have heard that voice again. He began shaking and he moved away from her, going over and falling to his hands and knees on the floor. "What's…what's happening to me?"

Jin got up and pulled the bed sheet around her, going over and standing a few feet away from him. Her anger and fear abated a little as she realized that something was wrong with her husband. "Cid?"

"Jin…something's wrong with me…" Cid managed to get to his knees and he looked up at her, sweat rolling down his face and his body still trembling.

Jin knelt before him, locking into his gaze, not accustomed to seeing fear in the man before her. "Cid?"

His eyes darted away, and his mouth moved to form a word, but nothing came out during his first two attempts. "Something…there's something in my head…"

She didn't understand. "What are you talking about?"

"I think I'm going crazy, Jin."

From the look she saw on his face, Jin knew that he was telling the absolute truth. She let go of the sheet and put her hands upon his shoulders. "Cid…are you okay?"

He didn't reply, other than to pull her to him and hold her close. "God damn it Jin, I'm sorry… Did I hurt you?"

She whispered her reply as he nuzzled down between her neck and shoulder, opting to lie a little. "No, I was just more scared than anything. Right now, I'm worried about you."

Cid managed to get a hold of himself and he unsteadily got to his feet after a few minutes. He ran his hands down his face, trying desperately to get his composure back together. "It's gotta be the fuckin' stress…"

"Okay, look, your dad's going home today and after that, we'll go see Brad, have him go help you get the plane, and then you, L.C., and I will go on a trip somewhere." Jin rose up, putting her hands on the sides of his face. "Then we can just relax for a while, all right?"

Cid smiled a pathetic smile, and nodded. "All right."

"Good." Jin moved away from him and over to the dresser, wanting to get dressed. She was worried about Cid, but since she didn't know what to do for him, Jin opted to turn to other things. "I'm going to go out there and start making some breakfast, because if your dad is anything like you, I'm guessing he gets up before the chickens and wakes up hungry."

"That he does." Cid shuffled over to the closet and pulled out a pair of jeans.

Jin finished dressing and left the room. As she walked out into the kitchen, she spotted Cid Sr. sitting at the table with L.C. at his side.

The old man looked over at her and gave her the trademark Highwind smirk. "Hey little lady."

"Did you sleep all right?" Jin asked, as she went over and pulled out a carton of eggs from the refrigerator.

"Yeah, I did all right. Got up 'round five and found my grandkid spookin' around. We just been sitting here talkin'." He smiled as he watched her get to the task of making what looked like omelets for breakfast.

"What have you talked about, L.C.?" she asked her stepson.

The boy's eyes lit up. "Grandpa told me all kinds of stuff! He was in the Air Force, before Shinra took over the military, and he flew fighters!"

Jin looked back over her shoulder as she got the eggs broken and into a bowl. "Really?"

"Yeah!" L.C. had been absolutely taken with his grandfather's stories. "He's really cool, Mom."

She completely turned around. Jin wasn't quite yet used to being called that, but she liked it. "I'm glad you've gotten to meet him, L.C."

"Well, I'm glad you talked Junior into lettin' me see the kid," Cid Sr. said, getting up from the table and walking toward her. "Can I help you with whatever it is your makin'?"

Jin raised her eyebrows. Her husband never offered to help in the kitchen unless she was deathly ill, so this was clearly not a trait he'd inherited from his father. "I appreciate the offer, but you're our guest."

He shrugged and went back over to where he'd been sitting. "So, what do you do?"

Jin replied while working on making their breakfast. "Well, I was an airship mechanic. I'm hoping to get a new job at the port in town."

The old man was impressed. "Mechanic, huh? Not too many women airship mechanics around."

"Tell me about it." Jin smiled to herself. "I was only one of three women in my classes back in the day."

"Good for you." He crossed his arms over his chest. "You seem like a good woman."

"Thanks," Jin laughed back. Cid's dad may have been a little backward, but she liked him well enough.

Cid finally emerged from the bedroom. He landed across from his dad, choosing to ignore him for the time being.

"What's on your mind, Junior?" the elder Highwind asked, seeing that his son seemed distressed.

He leaned back in his seat, not feeling like conversation. "Nothin'."

"Still a lousy liar." The old man smiled. "I ain't gonna harass you none. At least the boy talks to me."

"That's why you're here, isn't it?" Cid shot back.

He reached over and patted his grandson on the head. "It sure is."

Cid watched his father touch his boy and felt a spike of anger well up within him and whereas it should have settled back, it didn't and he tensed his jaw.

_Come on! He would be easy to kill at his point, Cid. He's old and weak._

The pilot closed his eyes and swallowed hard, not happy with yet another intrusion by the voice that had taken up residence within him. Still feeling the anger within him growing, Cid got up and went out the back door, making his way over to the bench and sitting. He put his head in his hands. "What the fuck is wrong with me?"

_Nothing, you're better than you've ever been, and you're not alone anymore. You will never be alone again._

Seeing that the voice was responding to him, Cid asked, "Who are you?"

_I have no name. You have to give me a name. Name the beast, give him an identity, the identity begets the form._

He didn't understand. "What?"

_A name, you _must _give me a name._

"I ain't givin' some fuckin' voice in my head a name."

_I'm not just a voice, Cid._

"Yeah, you are. I guess that's it, then. I've lost my mind."

_You are quite sane._

"God damn it, shut up!"

_If you keep talking aloud like that, others will believe you to have lost your mind, Cid. All you need to do is think._

Cid frowned and closed his eyes. _All right, then where in the fuck did you come from?_

I don't know.

Shit, Cid thought to himself. _This is fuckin' ridiculous._

You will have to come to accept my presence. To fight me will be pointless. Name me, Cid.

He opened his eyes up and looked out at the sunrise. "This isn't happening…"

As the voice continued to rant with him, Cid stood up. He was scared and suddenly a thought crossed his mind. Quickly, he ran into the house, not bothering to look at anyone as he went back to the bedroom and locked himself in.

Cid caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror hanging behind the dresser and stared.

His blue eyes were blue no more. They were a golden yellow-- the color of the average house cat. Cid stood transfixed by his image for several minutes, afraid to move. The pilot figured he was either now hallucinating along with hearing the voice or there was another alternative.

This was real.

He backed away from the mirror until he felt the bed against the backs of his legs and he sat. The phone was on the floor in front of him and he reached down. His fingers made out a phone number that he was all too used to calling.

-------------------------------

Quigley sat with the laptop computer stolen from the lab on his desk in front of him. His arms were folded upon his desktop, and his head rested upon them as he just stared at the formula displayed on the screen. He'd gone over it at least fifty times, and the researcher had reassured himself that he'd entered the formula exactly into the analyzer. Quigley sighed heavily, eyes still locked upon the screen as they had been for well over two hours.

Porter got up from where he was sitting and came over, putting his hands upon Quigley's shoulders. "Come on, you didn't screw up."

"It didn't work like it was supposed to," Quigley sighed, while rubbing his eyes and sitting up straight.

"But it worked. You're killing yourself over this, Quig." Porter reached over and pushed down the computer's screen, clicking it into its closed position. "You didn't even go to your room last night, did you?"

"No, Amy came by and brought me dinner, then she hung out with me for a while before going to bed." Quigley's eyes were red as he looked at his friend.

Porter moved around and went to lean on Quigley's desk. "Come on, Quig."

The researcher smiled and turned red. "You…might not want to touch my desk for a while."

The former Turk didn't get the hint right away. "Why?"

Quigley laughed, recalling he and Amy's slightly awkward encounter in the lab the night before. "I had sex here."

"Ack!" Porter quickly stepped away from the desk, wiping his hand upon his pant leg. "Not in the lab, Quig!"

He laughed over at his friend. "Please, like you and Rayna have never gone at it in here?"

Quigley had him there and he smiled. "Well, yeah, but that's not gross."

The researcher laughed again. "Oh, I see. Not to change the subject, but have you talked to Rayna about the whole maybe having a kid thing?"

Porter went and landed in a chair close by. "Yeah, actually, I did."

"What did she say?" Quigley turned in his seat to face his friend.

"She's game." Porter looked thoughtful. "Actually, she was really razzed."

"Cool." Quigley reached over and picked up a binder full of papers from his desk. "I've got all the details on the procedure we need to carry out here. Go give it to Janice and she'll give you your instructions."

Porter took the notebook and shook his head. "My instructions are going to be to jerk off into a cup, right? I think I can take care of that."

Quigley smiled and snickered. "Yeah, well…yeah."

"Well, if this ends up working, Quig, Rayna and I are going to owe you." Porter flipped through the pages in the binder, scanning over them.

"Hey, it's nothing." Quigley turned back to face the computer on his desk once more and reopened it. He went right back to staring at the formula for the cancer drug, knowing that something was terribly wrong.

Porter, seeing that Quigley was a lost cause for the time being got up and left the lab, wanting to go give the binder he'd been handed to Dr. Arlin.

-------------------------------

Tifa was out with the two children in the family room, and Vincent had retreated back into the master bathroom. He was sitting on the floor, leaning back against the wall. The bottle of the anti-Chaos drug that he'd left ASRIO with was placed on the ground before him and he'd already drawn up the appropriate dose in a syringe. He'd used a hair ribbon of Tifa's as a make shift tourniquet around his upper left arm, and he was preparing to aim his needle for his vein when he heard the phone ring. Instinctively, he stopped. If, on the off chance, that the call was for him, he didn't really want Tifa walking in on him in this situation.

The phone rang for a total of three times and then stopped. Vincent waited, ready to hide the evidence of what he was doing. Sure enough, a few seconds later he could hear Tifa walking down the hall.

In a flash, Vincent had the vial and syringe stashed beneath the bathroom sink and he pulled the ribbon from his arm. He got up and stood close to the door.

"Vincent?" came Tifa's voice from the other side.

"Yes?" he asked, wondering who would be calling him.

"The phone's for you."

Hoping that it would be someone he could blow off for the time being, he asked, "Who is it?"

"Well, it's Cid," Tifa replied quietly, muffled through the door.

Vincent knit his brow and reached out, opening the door. He examined Tifa as she stood there with the phone held out before her. She looked concerned and that, in turn, worried him. "Cid?"

"Yeah, he sounds upset and he said he wants to talk to you." Tifa literally placed the phone into Vincent's hand.

He put the phone to his ear as Tifa went back out to keep an eye on the baby. "Cid?"

There was a brief pause. "Sue? You're home, huh?"

"Obviously."

"Look, guy, I've got to talk to you." Cid was still sitting on his bed, leaning forward with his eyes closed, trying to shut out the world around him.

Vincent could hear the anxiety in the other man's voice, even if he was trying to hide it. "Go on."

"Uh, yesterday I was standin' out talking to my dad, and I heard a voice in my head."

Vincent didn't catch the last part, his mind had stopped in the middle of the statement. "You said your father was dead, Cid."

"Yeah, I know, he ain't, that was a load of shit." Cid scowled to himself, wanting to get to the point of the matter, not rehash his father's existence. "But that's not what I need to talk to you about."

Hearing the serious edge to the pilot's voice told Vincent that he needed to just go with it. "All right."

"So, I heard a voice in my head, clear as day, scared the hell out of me."

Vincent shrugged, even though he was on the phone. "Just the once?"

"No, today it started talkin' to me a whole bunch more and…damn it, I sorta hurt Jin this morning. It was like…something just took over. Now, I came in here and looked in the mirror and my eyes…Sue, my eyes changed color." Cid hoped somehow that Vincent would be able to help him. "I think I'm doing that fuckin' thing you and Aaron do, or at least, did."

This had Vincent's attention and he stood up. "Cid, are you telling me the truth?"

"Look, I wouldn't fuck with you about something like this." His voice betrayed how terrified he was. "Do you think that I'm somehow…"

Vincent couldn't understand right off the bat how Cid could be suffering what seemed to be the onset of an inner demon. From what he'd learned, it took about six years for one to gather up the ability to come out, and nothing had ever happened to the pilot where such a thing could have been introduced into him. Then, he recalled the miraculous recovery Cid had gone through from his cancer just days before. Vincent's mind flashed with a thought, but his main concern was keeping everyone safe before Cid snapped, and with as pissed off as the man tended to be, it probably wouldn't be long. "Cid, here's what we need to do. We have to get you back to ASRIO so they can help you like they did Aaron and I. But, in the meanwhile, you need to get yourself somewhere isolated, where you can't hurt anyone. Whatever you do, try not to get angry or upset at all. Any strong emotion could trigger something a lot worse than what you've gone through."

Cid nodded, understanding. "When can they come and get me? If I hurt anyone… Sue, this is bad, isn't it?"

Vincent wasn't about to lie to him. "Yes. I'll call Reno right now and see what we can do. Where should we pick you up?"

Cid had to think. Obviously, he had to leave the house so that Jin and his family weren't put at risk. "Shit, I don't know…if I had my fuckin' plane I could just climb in it and fly myself--"

Vincent wasn't sure why Cid had stopped mid sentence. "What's that?"

"I know what to do. I'm flyin' myself to the ASRIO base. I know you just got home to your family and all, Sunshine, but…" Cid felt really awkward making the request he wanted to.

"Do you want me to go there to be with you?" Vincent already knew the answer.

"Yeah." Cid felt that he needed the companionship of the only person who could understand what he was going through, even if that happened to be Vincent.

Vincent sighed heavily. Leaving his family again was the last thing he wanted to do, and he knew that if he was going back to ASRIO, that he was taking them with him. When it boiled down to it, Vincent knew good and well that somehow, Cid had told Reno where he was and he did owe the man his life…then again, he'd saved Cid's as well. Like it or not, they meant more to one another than they ever wanted to let on to the rest of the world. "Okay, I'll talk to Tifa and we'll get there. I'll call Reno and apprise him of the situation and I suppose he can send the helicopter out to get us."

"Us? You're bringing your whole herd?" Cid asked, surprised that Vincent wasn't just going to cut out on his own.

"No, I can't leave Tifa alone with the kids again. She's been alone too much."

"Good enough. Okay, I'm gettin' out of here before somethin' bad happens." Cid stood up.

Vincent smiled to himself. For whatever reason, Cid's tendency to have a drawl in his speech had deepened since the last time they'd spoken. He couldn't help himself. "Your accent has gotten worse."

Cid huffed and rolled his eyes. This didn't seem important at the moment. "That's because I've been listenin' to my God damned dad go on and on for the last day. Has that effect on me. I'm goin'."

"Wait, how are you going to fly yourself there when your plane is still up in the mountains?" Vincent didn't understand. "Did you somehow go and get it already?"

"No." Cid hung up. He had things to do, and shooting the breeze with Vincent any longer wasn't one of them.

Vincent sighed and sat back down on the bed. He quickly dialed his son-in-law's number.

"What?" came Reno's voice.

"It's Vincent, we have a problem."

"What a fuckin' surprise!" Reno was at his desk within the base.

"This is serious, Reno." He was already annoyed with the man.

"Oh, right, don't wanna piss you off or you'll shoot me in the face again, and I've only got half my face left at this point." He reached over and hit a button on his computer, ending the game of Snood he'd been playing.

Vincent opted just to get on with it. "I need you to send out Brad to pick us up and bring us back to the base."

"Why? Is something wrong with Aaron?" Reno asked.

"No, it's not a problem with us, but Cid just called, and he's heading back to the base, and he asked that we come, too." Vincent flopped onto his back, knowing that any conversation with Reno wasn't going to be easy, but then again, he felt that he deserved whatever Reno dished out to him. He had, after all, almost killed the guy.  
The ASRIO leader now knew that it was serious. "He was pretty eager to get out of here. Why would he be coming back?"

"Reno, he's got something wrong with him. He said he started hearing voices. From what he described to me, it sounds like he's got something developing inside of him like Chaos." Vincent closed his eyes, trying to imagine how truly horrible it would be for someone as volatile as Cid to possess such a thing.

"Wow, really?" Reno straightened up in his seat. "How'd that happen?"

"I'm not sure, but I'm starting to wonder if it didn't have something to do with the drug that he was given to cure his cancer," Vincent said quietly.

"Oh…" Reno's eye went wide and he grew nervous. After all the trouble that both Vincent and Aaron's demons had caused, he was loathe to deal with yet another such monster in his base. "If he fucks anyone up, I'm not going to be happy, Vinny."

"Well, this just started happening to him yesterday, so we should still be all right, I hope. He said he's flying over to your place ASAP." He rolled over onto his side, knowing exactly why Reno wasn't pleased.

"Cid's a mean old bastard, Vinny. If he blows his lid, and that's a given that he will because he tends to do that, you know it ain't going to be pretty." Reno frowned. "Knowing that, do you really want to be dragging your family down here?"

Vincent thought for a moment, Reno was right. It could be dangerous, but then again, if Tifa and the children remained in the room, they would be out of danger's way. However, Tifa would, at some point, sneak out just to make sure that Cid was okay. He gave a bemused passing thought to chaining her to something in their room so that she wouldn't be able to do that. "I can't leave them alone here, Reno."

"All right. I'll get on Brad to come get you." Reno stood up. "I'll go talk with the guys to see if they can start maybe making something to help Cid when he gets here."

"Good. Bye." Vincent turned off the phone and sat up. Life with this family was never simple and like it or not, Cid was part of that damn family.


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter Thirty Four

Cid remained in his bedroom for several minutes, debating how he was going to go about doing what he needed to. He dug around in one of the nightstand drawers and came up with a pen and paper and wrote a note that he left on the bed. That done, he pulled his jacket from the closet and went over to the bedroom window. Cid opened it and climbed outside, seeing his father's plane sitting out on the airfield and he started toward it, looking over his shoulder constantly to make sure that no one saw him.

Cid Sr. finished the breakfast that Jin had given him, and he got up from the table to go wash his plate. He turned on the water and looked out the window before him. "What the hell?"

"What is it?" Jin asked, sitting at the kitchen table.

"God damned Junior's up to somethin'." The old man set his plate in the sink and hurried over to the door and went outside.

Cid was about halfway to the plane when he heard his father behind him. He looked back over his shoulder to see the old man running to catch up with him. Resolving that he wasn't going to be stopped, Cid started running for all he was worth toward the airplane. If he knew his dad, and he thought he did, the keys would still be in the thing and stealing it would be easy enough-- but only if he could get there before his father.

But the elder Highwind was nothing to be laughed at, even at his advanced age. The man was fast and he was gaining on his son. "What the fuck you doin'?"

Cid growled between clenched teeth. "Don't follow me, God damn it!"

There was no way his was letting his son on his plane without him. Cid Sr. went faster.

Cid hit the side of the plane hard, reaching up and pulling open the door. He scrambled to get inside, but his dad was soon there as well, and as Cid tried to close the door, his dad grabbed a hold of it from the other side and fought to get in. "Damn it, old man! Let go!"

On the outside of the plane, the elder Highwind was giving it all he had. "No fuckin' way! You ain't stealin' my plane!"

Suddenly, Cid felt something stirring within him and he remembered Vincent's order not to get upset or worked up emotionally. He let go of the door and his father flung it open, looking up at his son with daggers in his eyes. "What's up with you?"

Cid turned and made his way up to the cockpit. He needed to get to ASRIO and if he had to do so with his father along for the ride, then that's what he'd do.

"Answer me, boy!" Cid Sr. climbed into the plane, pulling the door closed behind him.

Cid landed in the pilot's seat and sure enough, saw the ignition keys still in place. "I need to use your plane."

"Over my dead body!" He was now standing right behind his son. "Get outta my seat!"

Cid disregarded him and fired up the engines. "Get out or you're goin' with me."

Not willing to relinquish his aircraft to anyone else, the elder Highwind grabbed the collar of Cid's jacket and attempted to pull him from his seat.

Cid had already strapped himself in and all his father's attempt to removed him did was choke him. "Knock it the hell off!"

"I ain't just lettin' you take her!" Resolving that he couldn't get his son from the pilot's seat, he landed in the copilot's place-- a place he didn't like. "Where we goin'?"

Cid released the plane's breaks and it began to roll forward. "I need to go get some help for something."

"You ain't even gonna go tell Jin what's goin' on?" he asked, getting his own belt fastened.

"No time." Cid glanced over the various gauges displayed before him, getting familiar with the plane. It was an older than his, and it took him a second to get oriented, despite the fact that this had been the plane he'd learned to fly in.

The old man didn't understand but he could see that his son was clearly on some sort of determined mission. He settled back into his seat and crossed his arms over his chest as the plane lifted from the ground and into the sky.

A tense silence fell over them as Cid banked the craft around to head east, toward the ASRIO base. He did his best to calm himself, Vincent's words still ringing in his mind.

Unexpectedly, an amused laugh came from the old man. "Junior?"

He glanced over at his dad. "Yeah?"

Keeping his gaze fixed forward, he sighed. "You remember the last time we flew together like this?"

Cid scowled and thought back. It had been ages ago. "Yeah, I do. The day before my flight test."

"How long ago was that?" he asked.

Cid had to do the math. "I was fourteen, so…it's been thirty two years."

The elder Highwind turned in his seat to face his son. "Been a while."

Cid, not really giving any thought to it looked at his father in return. "Yeah."

"What the hell?" His father's expression contorted into confusion. "What happened you your eyes, Junior?"

Quickly, Cid looked away. In his anxiety over his father tagging along, he'd completely forgotten about his changed eye color. "I don't know. Somethin's wrong with me, that's why I needed to leave."

Cid Sr. settled back in his seat. "That's some weird shit. People's eyes don't just go changin' color like that."

"Yeah, I know, hence why I'm goin' to get it checked out." Cid shook his head, hating how his father needed to point out the obvious.

Seeing that his son wasn't keen on discussing the situation, he turned to look out the cockpit window again. After a few minutes, he spoke up, his voice quiet. "Junior?"

"What?" Cid clipped back, still annoyed with everything.

"I…I'm sorry. I know I let you down."

Cid leaned forward and looked out at the sky, seeming to search for something. "No pigs…"

"Huh?" The old man didn't understand.

Cid settled back into his seat. "Oh, I thought I heard you say you were sorry, but I don't see any pig out there flyin', so I guess I was hearing things."

"Damn it, Junior." He didn't find any humor in his son's jest. "I'm tryin' to be serious here."

Cid sighed deeply and tightened his grip on the control stick. "Fine."

"I wanted to let you know how sorry I was for lettin' you down." Cid Sr.'s cheeks gained some color, reflecting his discomfort with his admittal.

The younger man scoffed, "Let me down? Let me _down_? You fuckin' abandoned me and Mom so you could go off with Joanna and your other kid."

"I tried to keep in contact with you after that, but every time I saw you, Junior, you'd just be pissed off the whole time. Eventually, I guess I just figured you hated me." His voice betrayed his regret.

"That's because I did," he shot back. "Then when Mom died, you brought Joanna to the fuckin' funeral! How could you do that?"

"I didn't want to go alone. I figured that everyone else there pretty much hated me, and I just brought her so I wouldn't feel so…out of place, I guess." He hung his head and stared down at his hands that had now fallen to his lap.

"Then you shouldn't of fuckin' come at all."

The old man hastily reached up to his face, brushing away the unfamiliar moisture from his eyes. "But I loved your mother… I had to pay my respects."

"If you loved her, you had a funny way of showin' it by screwing another woman for twelve or thirteen years behind her back." Cid glanced over at his father for a moment, seeing the miserable expression he bore.

"Our marriage fell all to Hell, I'll admit that, but I still cared for her. I know you want to put all the blame for everything bad back then upon me, but Eden--"

Cid cut him off. "Don't you dare go trying to pass any of the responsibility onto Mom!"

"I'm just tryin' to say that she'd made certain things clear to me long before I ever started cheatin', Junior." He looked over at his son. "You know that she and I only got married because she got pregnant?"

This was news to Cid. "I knew I was born only about eight months after your anniversary…"

"Yeah well, you weren't premature by any means." The old man sighed. "She told me that we'd be married so that you would have a real family, but that she…she didn't really love me."

Cid heard his father's voice waver and noticed something he'd never seen upon his father's face before-- tears. In a rare moment, Cid was speechless.

"She didn't love me, Junior. That's why I turned to Joanna. Yeah, I know she was married, but she sorta felt like she was in the same boat, since her husband was more interested in his job than her. He was never around. We were just both lonely, and she did love me." Cid Sr. closed his eyes for a moment. "When you were about five, your mother's sister, Lucy, went missing. Your mom and I flew out to Nibelheim to go and look for her, since she'd last been sent there by her work. Durin' that trip, Eden basically told me that she knew what I was doin' with Joanna and that as long as I kept it hidden from you, that she didn't fuckin' care. She finally divorced me seven years later not because she 'found out' about my affair, but because she herself had taken interest in another man."

The sadness in his father's voice told Cid that the old man was being completely honest. He absorbed all that he'd heard, suddenly feeling some remorse. He remembered his mother seeing a guy named Buster shortly after the divorce. "I…had no idea about all that."

"No, because she made me swear never to tell you." He looked out the window again. "I agreed to bear all the blame for everything, since I'd gotten her pregnant in the first place."

Cid hung his head for a moment before looking over at his father. "I wish I'd known."

"Would it have made any difference in the way you feel about me?" he asked, his voice hopeless and miserable.

Cid was honest. "It already has."

A protracted silence fell over them at that point, and Cid's mind searched for something to discuss. Finally, he brought up the only thing he could think of. "So, Mom's sister, Lucy… I've heard her mentioned in passing, but I never really knew anything about her or that she'd vanished."

The old man nodded. "Yeah, she just sorta disappeared. I'd met her a couple times, and she was all right, I guess. Bit of a geek, but pleasant. Looked somethin' like your mother, but with long brown hair. After she was gone, your mother tried not to talk about her…I guess the thought of what might have happened to her was just too much."

"Lucy…" Cid thought for a moment. "There was a lot of weird stuff goin' on in Nibelheim back then, from what I've learned. My friend, Vincent, was there at the time. He was a Turk."

"Oh, so he worked for Shinra, too? Hell, if that's the case, he may have even known your aunt." He looked over at his son. "You'll have to ask him if he knew her by her real name, Lucrecia Jameson."

Cid squeaked-- he actually _squeaked_ as a response to this refused to come from his lips. His eyes went wide and he looked over at his father.

"Somethin' wrong, Junior?"

"Wh…what did you say her name was?"

"Lucrecia. I figured you knew at least that much." He crossed his arms over his chest again, wondering what his son's reaction meant. "Why?"

Cid swallowed hard and flipped on the autopilot, needing to get his nerves under control. "It's just that I feel like my world just got real fuckin' small all the sudden. First, I find out that Brad's my brother, and now you're tellin' me that Lucrecia's my aunt?"

"So what? You heard of her?" Cid Sr. was suddenly very interested.

"Yeah, I heard more about her than I think I ever wanted."

"Your friend Victor knew her?" he asked.

"His name's Vincent, and yeah, he knew her. In fact, he got her knocked up." Cid shook his head, disgusted with the whole thing.

"What?" He didn't understand. "Lucy never had any kids."

"Yeah, she did. Once she was pregnant, she was experimented on by a scientist working for Shinra and then when she had the baby, she died." Cid didn't necessarily like recounting this tale to his father.

"Holy shit in a hand basket…are you sure? What happened to the kid? I mean…shit!" He turned in his seat to face his son.

"Yeah, I'm sure. Like everyone else on the planet, you've heard of her kid, too." Cid looked over at his father. "Sephiroth."

"You fuckin' with me?"

"Wouldn't dream of it, old man." Cid shrugged. "It's just all one big mess."

"Damn." Cid Sr. shook his head. "Sephiroth, you say? Wow… He's dead, though, so that's that, I guess."

Cid outright laughed. "You wanna hear a story?"

The elder Highwind nodded. "Yeah, I suppose."

"Get comfortable." Cid then proceeded to tell his father the entire story of his time with AVALANCHE, and then of the events that had unfolded seven years later when Vincent was reintroduced into his life and Sephiroth had turned back up in the incarnation of Jaras.

His father just sat silently, taking it all in. He'd known, thanks to news reports, that his son had been involved in the fight against Meteor, but to hear it now from him was amazing. How very twisted all of the details were, and how they all fit together was a little mind boggling. Cid Sr. suddenly realized how much he'd missed out on by not having his son in his life for all those years. At least they had whatever time he had left.

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Vincent, having forgotten completely about giving himself his second dose of the anti-Chaos drug walked from the bedroom to find Tifa and the kids in the family room.

She looked over at him expectantly, knowing that Cid only would have asked to speak with her husband if it was serious. "What did Cid want?"

He landed beside her on the couch, sighing heavily. "We're going back to the ASRIO base to meet Cid."

"What's going on?" she asked, putting her hand upon his leg.

Vincent stared down where she was touching him for a moment, liking the feeling. He shook off the inappropriate thought that had slipped its way into his mind and met her gaze again. "Something's wrong with him and he feels that he needs me to be with him."

Tifa was stymied. "Why?"

"He started hearing a voice in his head the other day, and he claims that his eyes have changed color. Cid honestly believes that he's got something like Chaos within him," he replied quietly.

Tifa gasped and covered her mouth with her hands. "What? How?"

"I don't really know," he said quietly, putting his arm around her shoulders. "But he feels that since I'm the only one who can relate to him on this, that he needs me with him. So, since I have no intention of leaving you alone, I'm having Brad come out to pick all of us up so we can go there together."

She nodded in acceptance. "Vincent?"

He looked into her eyes. "Yes?"

"I'm…really impressed that you're willing to be there for Cid. It will mean a lot to him, and to me." She offered him an honest smile.

Vincent reflected her expression briefly. "I want you to understand, Tifa, that until we know exactly what's going on with him, that I want you to remain in the room with the children. If anything happened to any of you…"

"I know. That's fine. As long as I'm close to where you are, I'll be happy. Actually, Angel's spending a lot of time in her house up in town, and I could go there and stay with her." Tifa wouldn't mind spending time with Angel at all. She and Vincent's daughter had become very close over the years.

"That would be ideal, then I wouldn't have to be concerned with your well being." Vincent got up from the couch. "I'm going to go pack some things for us."

She watched him walk from the room and then turned her eyes over to where Aaron was sitting on the floor, holding Charlotte in his arms. "Did you hear that?"

The boy nodded. "Yeah."

"Is that okay with you?"

Figuring that he could busy himself with engaging Reno in more video game play, Aaron didn't mind. Besides, being away would prevent him from having to return to school on Monday. He was loathe to face the other students with his eyes now red. Surely, he would have been taunted for them. "I don't mind."

"Aaron, are you happy that your father has returned?" Tifa asked, not having heard much out of her son all day.

He almost laughed and brought his gaze to bear upon hers. "Good God, yes."

"Language, Sweetie," she said back to him softly.

"Sorry." He gave a sheepish grin, his untamed hair falling into his eyes.

She couldn't help but smile. It had been a long time since she'd seen Aaron as relaxed as he looked in that moment. Tifa was grateful.

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Amy came by to see Quigley, finding him still at his desk agonizing over the formula. She walked up behind him and put her hands upon his shoulders. "Quig?"

He turned slowly around to look at her, a lazy smile coming to his lips. "Amy, hi."

"Still fretting over that?" she asked, motioning toward the screen.

"I just can't shake the feeling I've got." He got up from his seat, stretching.

"I can help you shake it," Amy said, giving him a wink.

"Oh…" Quigley grinned and took her into his arms. He turned his body until he had her backed up against the desk. "You know, I told Port what we did last night…gave him the jibblies."

"Quig! You don't go around telling people things like that!" Amy feigned anger, but it clearly wasn't sincere.

"I didn't tell _people_, I told Port." Quigley leaned forward and kissed her.

Amy steadied herself against the desk, her hands resting upon the surface behind her. Unintentionally, her left hand landed upon the edge of the computer's keyboard, pushing a random assortment of keys. As she did so, the image on the screen changed, and the computer produced a beep, drawing Quigley's attention.

He pulled from the kiss and looked down at the computer. What he saw caught his attention. Quigley looked at Amy with wide eyes. "What did you just do?"

"I don't know, I sort of accidentally put my hand on the keyboard." Amy wondered if she'd ruined something, due to his shocked expression.

Quigley gave her a nod and then dropped back into his seat. There was new text upon the screen, overlying the previous image of the formula. He quickly got to reading.

_What kind of fool would I be to put the actual formula of such an important drug onto this? If you're reading this, then I assume that you've stolen my computer and furthermore, if you've looked into it this far, I can only suspect that you're wondering why the drug didn't work as it was supposed to after you gave it to some poor bastard._

_Yes, the cancer drug the research on this computer describes does exist, but I changed out the portion of the file that contained the actual formulation for it with something else._

_You may have spared someone from cancer, but you've damned them to a whole other fate. I wonder how bad it's already gotten by the time you discovered this hidden screen?_

_What you are witnessing in the subject is my attempt to improve upon a bit of work by my predecessor, Hojo. He had managed to take demon DNA and embed it in a carrier virus for injection into human subjects. The downfall of this was that the onset of change within the subject took well over six years._

_I, of course, was able to improve upon this. I've found a way to alter the subject's DNA without the use of a carrier virus and the alterations within them begin within days. I can only hope that you've injected this into someone important to you. Such is your deserved punishment for stealing my computer._

_Now, I suppose you're wondering if there's a cure for what has befallen the subject? Ironically, the actual cancer cure drug that this file was supposed to represent can be changed to counteract the alteration drug that you've created, but that file is not on this computer._

_Better luck next time. You reap what you sow. _

_Dr. Peirte W. Methius_

Quigley slammed his head down onto the desk. "God fucking damn it!"

It was a rare thing for Quigley to curse and Amy knew it. She knelt beside his chair. "Quig? What is it? What's wrong?"

"I…I screwed up." There were tears of bitter self-disappointment in his eyes. "I trusted the damn research… Oh God, what have I done?"

The door to the lab flew open and Reno strolled in. "Quig! I need to fuckin' talk to you!"

He closed his eyes and sighed, before turning in his seat to face his boss. "I need to talk to you, too."

Reno, not accustomed to seeing Quigley look upset, decided to let the man speak. He went to a vacant chair and sat. "What's up?"

Quigley managed to steel himself from breaking down completely. "I messed up…"

"Yeah?" Reno leaned forward in this seat, his cane resting across his knees.

He gestured back at the computer. "I just found a hidden file that says the drug formulation on this thing isn't to cure cancer. It's to change someone into some kind of monster, I'm guessing along the lines of what happened to Vincent and Aaron, except that it works a lot faster."

Reno nodded, going over Vincent's phone call again in his mind. "Yeah, well, that's why I'm here. Vinny called, said that Cid's on his way as we speak. He's freakin' out."

Quigley's eyes went wide. "Damn it… Okay, we're going to have to confine him and see if we can get a temporary fix going for him with a drug along the lines of what we made for Vincent and Aaron. And then we're going to have to get the real formula for the cancer cure from Shinra, because what I just read on the computer said that the cancer drug can be altered to cure the demons."

"Aw fuck!" Reno let his head fall back, a move he instantly regretted as a pain shot through him from the motion. "Another raid? You're telling me that we have to go on another raid into the Junon lab?"

"We don't have any plants there anymore." Quigley crossed his arms over his chest. "We have to get the actual formula one way or another. There are thousands of people dying of the disease that we can save if we get it. Besides, revealing that Shinra has been sitting on this for years would be a huge blow against them."

Hurting Shinra appealed to Reno, even if another mission at the moment didn't. He sighed and trained his gaze upon Quigley. "Okay, we've got to do what we've got to do. I'm gonna have some guys ready to restrain Cid when he gets here. I'll see you later."

Quigley nodded and watched as Reno left. He was miserable, wracked with guilt about injecting Cid with an untested drug. Never would he have imagined that someone would have been so evil as to switch the formula like that, but Peirte _had_ been that evil, and even after his death he had managed to do his twisted work. Quigley was never one to wish bad things upon someone, but for the moment, he couldn't help but hope that the son of a bitch was rotting in Hell.

Amy couldn't stand to see Quigley like this. She reached out and picked up his hand. "Come on, Quig. You have to get out of here for a while."

Reluctantly, he stood up and followed as she pulled him from the lab. It really was the last place he wanted to be for the time being. He had thought he was on a winning streak with getting Amy and curing Cid, now his baby brother's death and the fact he'd done something so terrible to Cid crushed in on him. The researcher couldn't help but wonder how he was going to screw things up with Amy. Everything he did seemed doomed to failure.

---------------------------------

Jin had watched the spectacle of Cid and his father fighting their way into the plane that morning, and hadn't taken her eyes from the scene until the plane lifted up into the sky. Although she had no idea what was going on, she figured that any means of getting Cid and his father alone where they could possibly talk was worth it.

Now, afternoon was setting in and they hadn't returned and she began to worry. L.C. had questioned her as to where his dad and grandfather had gone to, but since she'd had no idea, she was unable to respond.

She had pulled a load of laundry from the drier and carried it back to the bedroom to be folded. When she tossed the clothes upon the bed, she saw the note lying upon her pillow. Jin picked it up and read it.

_Jin,_

_I'm going to the ASRIO base for a while. I'm not cutting out on you because I want to, but yesterday, I started hearing voices and this morning, I noticed a change in my eyes. I've got that same fucking thing that Vincent's been plagued with, I just know it. Since I don't want to risk hurting you or L.C., I'm going in the hopes that the guys at the base can help me before things get too bad. I'll call you as soon as I can._

_Love you,_

_Cid_

Jin felt her heart race and she let the note fall to the floor. If Cid was worried enough to have bolted out of the house and attempt to steal his father's plane, then it must truly be bad. Her hands started shaking and she sat down on the edge of the bed, and allowed herself to cry.

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It didn't take too long before Cid found himself circling over the airfield above the ASRIO base. The people there were familiar enough now to grant him landing clearance without any hassle. Once the plane was on the ground, he parked it and looked over at his dad. "This is it."

"Crappy landin', Junior. Bounced twice." Cid Sr. had his eighth cigarette of the flight still held between his lips.

Cid rolled his eyes and sighed, opting to use the excuse he'd been given by his own son many times. "I was landing in a crosswind. Give me a break."

The elder Highwind shrugged and unfastened his seatbelt before moving from his seat. He threw open the door and looked around, flicking his cigarette out onto the tarmac. "Awful fuckin' hot here for winter."

Cid pushed past him and exited the plane. "It's Costa. I'm sure you've been here before."

"I ain't. I've avoided this nightmare my whole life. God damned tourist trap. Makes me sick." He followed his son.

Cid saw Reno standing with several men at his side toward the control tower and headed for them. He already knew what he was in for after watching ASRIO deal with Vincent and Aaron. The pilot raised his hands to show his harmless intent as he got closer.

_Don't do this, Cid. It's suicide. Turn around and leave._

_No, _Cid thought back, tensing his jaw. _I know what I have to do and I'm going to do it._

_Idiot, _the voice growled back.

"Hey." Reno had a pair of handcuffs dangling from his right hand. "I'm thinking you know the drill."

Cid nodded and lowered his hands, extending his wrists toward the ASRIO leader. "Yeah, just get on with it."

Reno gave him a fleeting smile and then quickly got him bound with the cuffs. "There. Comfy?"

"Junior? What's goin' on?" Cid Sr. didn't like the sight of his boy being restrained.

"Who in the flying fuck are you?" Reno asked, scrutinizing the old man. He motioned between Cid and the elder Highwind. "You two have _got_ to be related."

"Damn straight," the old man shot back. "I'm his dad, and I'm wonderin' why you got him shackled up like that?"

Reno shrugged. "Because some of us have a nasty tendency to turn into some sort of psycho killing monster when we're upset, and I'll give you three guesses which of us it is."

Cid Sr.'s eyes narrowed and he looked at his son. "Junior?"

"Bingo!" Reno smiled and laced one of his arms through Cid's. "Now, let's go get our fly boy into a nice little cell, shall we?"

The old man trotted a few steps to get to his son's side again as Reno led him toward the base entrance. He noticed that the other four men that were walking along side them were all armed. "What's goin' on?"

Cid glanced over at his dad. "I'll tell you once we get inside."

Reno opened the base door and continued on his way until he had gotten Cid to the detention block. He went over to the cell that Aaron had occupied a while before and motioned for Cid to go in.

The pilot obeyed and cringed slightly when the steel door was slammed close behind him. The sudden feeling that came over him upon being confined made him nervous and a sweat broke across his skin.

"Put your hands through the bars and I'll get the cuff off ya." Reno jingled his keys out before him.

Cid did as ordered and quickly his restraints were removed. He rubbed his wrists for a moment before pulling off his jacket and tossing it over onto the small bed. Cid had a phobia of entrapment and looking around the cell, seeing no means of escape got the better of him and he felt himself begin to shake.

Reno seemed a little amused by this and with Cid safely on the other side of the bars and unable to reach him, he couldn't resist. "Aw, Cid! Don't act so freaked out. We'll probably remember to feed you, and the torturer doesn't come in until Wednesday."

"Shut up and go away, Reno." Cid wasn't in the mood to be messed with.

"I see how it is." Reno turned away. "You only love me for my base."

"Knock it off." Cid went and landed heavily upon the bunk, glancing over at his father who was standing beside the former Turk.

"Actually, Cid," Reno spun back around to face him, his voice quiet, "I'll give you whatever you want. Turns out…this is our fault."

Cid's interest was piqued. "Really?"

Reno nodded slowly as to not make himself dizzy. "Yeah, I was talkin' to Quiggers earlier and it turns out that the so-called cancer drug we made and gave you…well, it's actually something like the Chaos drug. The nut job in the Shinra lab switched the formulas."

He drew in a jagged breath and hung his head. Cid had suspected this in the back of his mind since his eyes had changed that morning, but to hear it actually said was crushing. "Jesus, Joseph, and Mary."

Reno's shoulders slumped as he realized that Cid was going to actually break down. "Look, I've got my guys working on it. Quigger's will come by at some point to get a blood sample from you or some such, and then we can make up something to keep it under control like Vinny and his kid."

Without looking, Cid nodded a little. "Okay."

Reno motioned to his men and they departed the cellblock. He figured now would be a good time for Cid and his father to be alone.

The old man came right up to the bars of Cid's cell. "What in the hell is goin' on?"

"They gave me a drug that they thought was the cure for lung cancer. I was dyin' from it." He couldn't bring himself to look at his father.

This hit the elder Highwind hard. "Wait, you were dyin' and you didn't even tell me?"

After learning all he had about his father that morning, Cid suddenly felt horrible about it. "No, not that I really would have had much of a chance. Things got a little complicated right about then."

"My oldest boy almost dies and he doesn't tell me?" He leaned against the bars. Cid Sr. was heartbroken to hear this, but not entirely surprised.

"I'm sorry." Cid felt a tear make its way down his cheek and he didn't wipe it away. He figured with his head hung as it was, that his dad wouldn't be able to see.

Cid Sr. let this sink in for a minute before going on. "So they somehow came up with some supposed cure and gave it to you, only to find out now that it was somethin' else?"

"Yeah." His shoulders heaved with his emotion. Cid was having a tough time keeping control over his emotions. "It got rid of the cancer, but it put some sort of monster in me. My friend Vincent I mentioned before…he's got the same fuckin' sort of thing. I've seen what it did to his life and to him and…I'm…I'm afraid."

"Come here."

Cid looked over at his dad.

"I said come here, Junior."

He rose up and slogged over to where his father was standing against the bars.

The old man then did something he hadn't done to Cid in well over three decades. He reached though the bars and grabbed his son, pulling him into an embrace, despite the bars that were between them.

Cid was a little shocked by this at first, but quickly submitted and reached through the bars, putting his arms around his father in return. Now being held, he let go and cried.

A/N- I'm having a sad day…I know what would make me feel better! Lots of reviews! I find it hard to believe that I'm only really hearing from about 8 of the 150 people that are reading through this! Come on, I'll love you forever!


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Brad didn't know why he was being sent to Kalm to pick up Vincent and his family, but there he was. After getting the chopper on the ground, he exited it and walked toward the house, figuring that they would need a hand with all the things they were undoubtedly bringing.

When he was just a few yards short of the back door to the house, it opened and Vincent was standing there. He offered the pilot a weak smile. "Brad."

The pilot knit his brow. The last time he'd seen Vincent, the man had been nearly starved and at death's door. "How are you?"

"Fine." Vincent came down the few stairs there until he was on the ground before him. He studied Brad thoughtfully for a few moments before speaking. "You don't completely trust me."

"I ain't gonna lie to you." Brad crossed his arms over his chest. "I've got my reservations after that little matter of you shooting Reno in the face."

Vincent dropped his gaze to the ground. "It was the ferium. I never would have done that to him otherwise."

Brad shrugged. "I don't know…but if Reno trusts you, and he was the one you actually shot, hell, I guess I don't have a huge choice. Why am I taking you to the base anyway?"

"Because Cid asked if I would go there. He's going to the base to seek…help." Vincent took one more step closer to him.

He met Vincent's gaze and narrowed his eyes. "Help? What's wrong with him?"

"The cure that they gave him seems to be not entirely what we had all hoped." Vincent noticed the concern in the other man's expression.

"What do you mean?" Brad asked, letting his arms fall back to his sides.

"He believes that he's developing something along the lines of Chaos within him," Vincent replied quietly.

"Holy shit…" Brad shook his head, not sure how this was possible. "He's…damn it."

"I know." Vincent saw how upset Brad was beneath his usual strong facade. He remembered how Brad had shown the same disturbed reaction upon hearing of Cid's previous illness. He could appreciate the bond that was between the two pilots, and he wanted to ease Brad's worry. "Hopefully, if that's the case, they will be able to help him, as they have done for Aaron and I."

"Yeah, but you ain't cured, just…tamed for a while." Brad knew at least that much.

"True, however, I have no choice to put my faith in ASRIO's ability to find a cure." Vincent gave the faintest of smiles.

"I hope they don't let us down, then. Let's get your stuff on the bird." Brad walked past Vincent and toward the house. He wanted to get back to the base.

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Jaras was sitting behind the counter in his bookstore, flipping through one of the new techno-thillers that had come in. Knowing that his father had a like for this sort of book, he decided that he'd send a copy of it to Vincent's house. That had become a regular thing for him over the years, and his father always seemed grateful.

The door to the store opened up and Jeanine walked in, coming up to the counter. "Hey there."

He gave his wife a demure smile. "Good afternoon, Ma'am. Is there anything in particular you're looking for?"

She giggled and leaned against the counter. "I don't know, maybe just an incredibly sexy man with big, green eyes and silver hair. Do you have any such thing?"

Jaras cocked an eyebrow at her. "I do believe that I just might."

"Seriously, Jaras, my dad had me come to get you. He says he's ready for you to come by the clinic." Her expression lost its humor.

He got up and came around the counter, embracing her. "It will be fine, Jeanine. The little bit of Mako that he's going to put into me won't be anything compared to what I was exposed to back in the day."

"I know, but I can't help but worry, Jaras. I love you, and this baby…" Her words trailed off and she stepped back before placing her hands upon her still flat stomach.

Jaras smiled and placed his hands over hers. "Everything will be fine, Jeanine. I promise you it'll be fine."

Her smile finally returned. His confidence was unwavering in regards to his treatment. "Okay, well, let's go then. Dad's waiting."

"And Brandon doesn't like to be kept waiting," he laughed back. Jaras had come to appreciate over the years that the old man didn't like his patients to run late. He called his assistant from the back room, informing the younger man that he was going to be gone for the rest of the day before leaving.

They walked to Brandon's small clinic just a few blocks from the bookstore. They entered, finding Brandon finishing up with his last regular patient of the day.

Jeanine and Jaras waited for a few moments, before Brandon waved them over. "Jaras, how are you feeling today?"

He shrugged a little. "I'm fine."

"Good." Brandon motioned over toward one of the few beds placed within the clinic. "Go get comfortable."

Jaras nodded and headed over to one of the beds, sitting upon it. He sighed heavily and looked over at his wife as she sat in a chair close by. "I wonder how long this will take?"

"I don't know." Jeanine looked over to where her father was digging through a drawer. "I'd imagine it wouldn't be that long."

Brandon soon returned with a glass in his hands. It was filled with a viscous, glowing, green liquid-- Mako. "Jaras, are you ready?"

He nodded, but Jeanine expressed her concern. "Dad… are you sure this is safe?"

The old man gave his daughter a grin. "It's the same strength dose that SOLDIERs used to receive all the time. The risk of life threatening side effects from this amount is small, Jeanie."

"I'm sorry, I'm just scared." She looked away, ashamed to have such reservations, especially when this was the only way to cure her husband of the Jenova within him.

Jaras looked over at her. "It's okay. I appreciate it."

Brandon came over to Jaras' side. "Are you ready?"

To be faced with the glass containing the Mako that would begin to kill the Jenova within him suddenly made Jaras anxious. He found himself fighting the Jenova as it began to rear up, trying to preserve itself. Jaras felt a sweat break across his skin and the color drain from his face.

Brandon and Jeanine both noticed the change in him. The doctor stared into his eyes. "Jaras, are you all right?"

"Yeah," he sighed, "the Jenova…it wants to try and stop this."

Brandon instinctively took a step back.

Jaras met his gaze. "No, just give it to me. It's not strong enough to make me do anything at this point. Hurry."

Knowing that he had to do as Jaras asked, Brandon handed Jaras the glass and then crossed his arms over his chest, waiting.

Jaras took a deep breath and then closed his eyes, before bringing the glass up to his lips. He swallowed its burning contents in just a few large swallows. The taste was horrendous, instantly making him nauseous. Once he had it all down, Jaras dropped the glass and doubled over on the bed, wrapping his arms around himself in an attempt to quell his urge to vomit.

Jeanine shot to her feet, terrified over Jaras' reaction. "Are you okay?"

He raised up one hand as if to beg for silence as the sickness the Mako gave to him escalated. Jaras' breaths came in pained gasps and he fell to his side upon the bed, drawing his legs up until he was curled upon the gurney. "Oh God…"

Jeanine came to his side, and placed a hand upon his upper most arm. "Jaras?"

Everything, for the moment, was an insult to his senses. The whisper of his name resounded through his ears and head like a scream, and the gentle touch of her hand felt like a stinging blow. Even the sensation of his clothes upon his body burned like mad. Jaras pushed her hand away. "Please, no one touch me…be quiet…"

Brandon looked over at his daughter and waved her over to him. She quickly obeyed and then he led her several yards away from the bed Jaras was upon. He placed his hand upon her shoulder. "He's hyperaesthetic."

Having herself gone through medical school, she understood what the word meant. Her husband was presently overly sensitive to all stimulus. "How long will he be like that?"

"Probably an hour or two. He's also going to be very nauseous for the next twenty-four hours. Don't be surprised if he vomits, and in fact, I'll almost guarantee most of what he just drank will come up shortly." Brandon looked over just in time to see Jaras lean over the edge of the bed and purge his stomach upon the floor. "And there he goes."

Jeanine hurried back over to Jaras' side and looked down upon him, not knowing what to do. If everything she could say or do would hurt him for now, she was at a loss.

Jaras managed to flop over onto his back and look up at her. Seeing her expression let him know what was on her mind. There was only one thing he needed from her. "Just…be there."

She gave him a forced smile and nodded. If all he wanted was for her to be there, then that is what she would do.

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Half way through the flight back to the ASRIO base, Vincent sat bolt upright in his seat, startling Tifa who had been nestled against him.

She looked over at him. "Vincent? What's wrong?"

He had blanched to a sickly pallor, but tried to play it off. "Nothing…I just forgot something."

She hated it when he did things like that. "You're not acting like it was nothing, Vincent."

Tifa had him there, but he wasn't going to scare her. He was feeling fine and figured he would be able to make it to the base without any trouble. Once there, Vincent knew he'd be able to get more of the anti-Chaos drug, so the fact that he'd forgotten his second dose in the excitement of the day wasn't that big of a crisis. "Trust me, it's fine."

Although Tifa wanted to lay into him about hiding whatever it was from her, she glanced over at Aaron, seeing him sitting playing his game. Since pressing Vincent about whatever it was could possibly result in an argument, she opted to drop it. "Okay."

Vincent gave her a grateful smile and then put his arms around her shoulders. "Thanks."

She sighed heavily, giving in. "No problem."

He kissed her on the cheek and then spoke into her ear, so that Aaron couldn't hear him over the helicopter's noise. "You'll find out after we land, all right?"

Tifa turned to look into his eyes. "Okay."

Vincent pulled her close and then turned his attention to Charlotte as she slept in her carrier seat. "She's still out like a light."

Tifa smiled as she looked at her daughter. "I know, she's been such a good baby, Vincent. She's been sleeping most of the night and…"

He noticed the way her words trailed off. "Tifa?"

She turned her gaze to meet his once more. "Just the fact that you've been gone… I missed you so much."

Vincent gave her a brief smile. "I'm sorry, Tifa."

"No, I'm the one who owes you the apology. If I hadn't been so quick to turn to Cid…" Tears came to her eyes and she looked away.

Vincent tensed his jaw as he thought about it for a moment. Still, he was far enough out from the event he'd walked in on between Cid and Tifa as to not fly off the handle about it. He put a hand beneath her chin and made her look back at him. "Tifa, you alone don't bear the blame. We all do. Don't worry about it. It does no good to live in constant guilt. Trust me on that."

She nestled against him and closed her eyes. "Vincent…"

"We'll discuss it later. For now, just live in the moment, all right?" he said quietly, holding her tightly.

"Okay."

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Cid was sitting on the bed in his cell, staring at the wall opposite to him. His father had stepped out to get something to eat a while ago, leaving him alone with his thoughts. He wondered if Jin had found his note, and what her reaction had been. Part of him suspected that she would hop on a train and come out to see him. Then again, if something strange was going to happen to him, Cid didn't really want her to see it.

Quigley had come by a few hours before and had gotten a small blood sample from him in order to try and isolate the RNA sequence in him that may be present if he was truly doing what Vincent did.

The researcher had informed Cid that under the best of circumstances, it would be a day or two before the drug was ready. This had upset him, as being locked up and thus out of control of his own situation was one of his greatest fears. Cid wanted out of the damn cage, but knew that for now, it was the only option.

_I can get you out of here, Cid, _came the voice that had been plaguing him.

Cid closed his eyes and rested his head back against the bars. _Fucking shut up already!_

Give me a name, Cid.

Losing his desire to keep thinking his replies and too angry to care otherwise, Cid spoke aloud. "Stop asking! Do it one more time and I'm gonna fuckin' give you somethin' you'll regret, like Snowball or Mr. Snuggles."

_Good enough. It's done. The name begets the form._

Cid suddenly had a very bad feeling. "Oh shit…"

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When the helicopter finally landed at the base, Vincent led his family to their room and got them settled in. Once Tifa was sitting on the couch, quietly nursing the baby, he went over to the door. "I'm going to go check in on Cid."

"All right." She gave him a smile. "Wait, you said I'd find out what you forgot once we got here."

Vincent looked away from her and knit his brow. Aaron was in the bathroom for the moment, so he could be honest. "Tifa, I was supposed to give myself my second dose of the anti-Chaos drug today. I forgot."

Remembering the horrible reactions that he'd had from that chemical seven years ago, she immediately felt uneasy. "You were going to give yourself those awful injections?"

He raised his hands, indicating that she should keep her voice down. "Yes, I thought that it was the only way for me to go home when I wanted to. Now that we're here, though, I can have the rest of my treatment given by Quigley and Janice…"

"Vincent? What is it?" She saw his expression change.

Vincent swallowed hard, remembering how he'd murdered the researcher's brother. "When I was on the ferium…I did some terrible things."

Tifa nodded. His intended betrayal of ASRIO and his shooting of Reno came to mind. "Yeah, you did, but it wasn't your fault."

"Perhaps." Vincent turned from her. He shook off the thought of Spencer's death for the time being and opened the door. "Anyway, I'm going to go see Cid. Please, Tifa, stay here until we know exactly what he's facing."

Tifa was going to say something and it was going to be honest. "I swear, Vincent, that I'll stay here until you say otherwise."

"All right. I may be gone for a long time, depending on how he's doing." He stepped out into the hallway and closed the door behind him.

He headed toward the cellblock, but was halted when Reno appeared before him. Vincent's eyes went wide, as he was more than a little uncomfortable with facing this man, despite their talk when Reno had come to get him from the cave. "Hey, Reno."

Planting his cane on the floor before him and leaning upon it, Reno stared at Vincent. "Vinny, how the hell are you?"

"Actually, I need another dose of the anti-Chaos drug," Vincent replied quietly.

"Yeah, I heard you took all of it with you. You lose it?" Reno asked.

"I forgot it at home." Vincent took a few steps closer to his son-in-law.

"Dog ate it?"

"Reno, seriously, I need my second dose." Vincent wasn't really in the mood to deal with the man's idiocy.

"Then we need to go see the troops, come on." Reno spun around, a little quicker than he should have, immediately making himself dizzy as hell. He wavered and started to fall.

Vincent tried to rush forward to grab him, but in his own slightly uncoordinated state, did no more than land on top of Reno once he was on the floor. He found himself staring down into his son-in-law's face.

"Vinny…uh…get the fuck off me," Reno said as best he was able, the wind having been knocked out of him by the impact of the other man upon him.

Vincent rolled off and landed on his back on the floor beside Reno, staring up at the ceiling. "Sorry…I was trying to help you."

Although Vincent would have expected a torrent of obscenities or perhaps inappropriate comments regarding the situation, Reno did no such thing. Instead, he started laughing uncontrollably-- and it was infectious.

Vincent tried to not give in, but after a few seconds, he too was caught up in the giggles as they remained where they were on the ground.

"What in the world is going on here?"

They both looked up to see Porter standing above them with his hands on his hips.

Reno, still snickering, managed to sit up. "Hey, Port."

"Do I even want to know?" he asked, looking confused.

Vincent gathered his composure and stood up, then turning to help Reno. "We fell."

"I guessed as much." Porter shook his head, examining them as they got themselves back in order. "I was just coming to find you, Reno, to let you know that Quigley's already looking at the blood sample he took from Mr. Highwind this morning. It looks like there are some strange RNA sequences within him, so it looks promising that we will be able to make him something along the lines of what Vincent and Aaron received. It'll take a day or two, but it should work."

"Cool beans." Reno reached over and slapped Vincent in the shoulder. "And this loser here needs some more of the stuff you made for him, too. He's due for another dose, I guess, and the retard forgot it at home."

Porter locked gazes with Vincent and scowled. "You took the whole vial, Mr. Valentine. We will have to make some more, and with us working on getting Mr. Highwind set up, it's going to be a good day before we manage to get it done."

Vincent hung his head and sighed. He gave passing thought to flying back home and getting his fix, but to go there and back would take damn near an entire day and cost ASRIO the use of the chopper again. Any thought he had about doing so was quickly ended, though, when he felt Reno grab one of his wrists and start placing cuffs on him. "Hey…"

Reno shook his head as he got the restraints tightened. "Sorry, but I ain't risking it, Vinny. Besides, you and Cid will have a good old time down there together. You can get all like nostalgic and stuff."

Vincent hung his head and sighed. He knew that it was best for him to be confined in light of the circumstances, even if he didn't feel like Chaos was a threat for the time being. "All right."

Porter came forward and laced one of his arms through Vincent's, deciding that he would have an easier time of leading Vincent there than Reno. He wasn't necessarily gentle about it, either. The former Turk still held his reservations regarding Vincent and knew that he'd feel better when the man was under lock and key.

Reno remained in the hall, and watched them retreat. "See ya, Vinny."

Vincent was taken straight to the detention block and led to the cell next to Cid's. He looked over, seeing that the pilot was lying on his side on the bed in his cell, apparently asleep. There was an older man sitting outside the door to Cid's cell in a folding chair. Vincent couldn't help but stare at him as he was shoved into his own cell. He knew that this had to be Cid's father.

Porter slammed the cell door shut and Vincent, well versed on the procedure, backed up to the bars so that his restraints could be removed. Once that was done, he turned back to face Porter. "Tell Tifa what's going on, and that I still want her to remain in the room."

"Okay." Porter slipped the cuffs in his pocket and turned away. "I'm going back to the lab to help Quig."

Vincent said nothing further to him, knowing that Porter was far from pleased with him. Instead, he looked over, seeing that Cid had been awoken by the commotion. "Cid, how are you?"

His eyes lit up at seeing Vincent in the cell beside his. "Hey, Sue. Why'd they lock you up?"

Vincent went over and sat on his bed, putting him right beside the pilot. "I'm in need of more of the anti-Chaos drug and they didn't want to take any risks."

Cid nodded knowingly and gave him a sidelong glance. "I see."

Vincent turned to look Cid square on. The pilot's eyes had indeed changed and the sky blue they had once been was now a straw gold and there was another thing. Vincent noticed that Cid's pupils were no longer normal, but vertical slits, not unlike Jaras'. "You've got cat eyes."

Cid got up and went over to the small metal mirror hanging above the sink in his cell and examined his image for a few seconds. "Oh crap, they were just a different color this morning…now I got them crazy Sephiroth pupils going on, too."

Vincent shrugged. "Well, they'll figure it out and get us taken care of."

"I guess." Cid slogged back over to his bed and sat heavily.

Cid's father, not one to be ignored, cleared his throat loudly.

"Oh, yeah, that's my dad," Cid mumbled, pointing over at the old man.

Vincent got up from his bed and over toward the front of his cell. "Hello, I'm Vincent."

Cid Sr. got up from his chair and came over, extending his hand through the bars as he carefully scrutinized his son's friend.

Vincent accepted the handshake but looked away, not liking the way he was being examined.

Eventually, Cid Sr. stepped back and folded his arms across his chest. "Hey, Junior, you said this guy was in Nibelheim forty one years ago?"

"Yeah."

"You're a fuckin' liar, boy." The old man waved a hand at Vincent. "He ain't old enough."

"He's old enough, he's just…well…he didn't age for a good long time. Hell, he was asleep for thirty years of it or some shit like that." Cid looked over, seeing his father still staring at Vincent. "He don't like to be looked at like that, neither."

Cid Sr. huffed and went back over to his seat. "Junior said you knew his aunt Lucy."

Vincent wasn't quite tracking the conversation yet. "Lucy?"

Cid let his head fall back and hit the bars. "Fuckin' Lucrecia."

"Oh…" Vincent's mind raced, putting the information together. "Cid! You never said that--"

He sat back up straight and looked over at him. "I didn't honestly know that Aunt Lucy and you're damn girlfriend were the same person."

Vincent went over and landed back on the bed in his cell. "Cid…"

The old man spoke up. "He said you knew her and got her knocked up."

Now Vincent's eyes went wide and he glared at the pilot. "Cid!"

"What?" He lay back on his bed, putting his hands behind his head. "You did."

Vincent shook his head and sighed. "Wonderful."

"Hey, I wasn't all that thrilled to find out myself." The pilot gazed up at the ceiling. "The last thing I wanted was to know was that my family was involved in this whole fuckin' mess."

Vincent couldn't fault him there. Not having anything better to do, he also got onto his back on his bed, mimicking Cid's pose. "So, that makes you Jaras' first cousin."

Cid snorted. "Sure fuckin' does. That sucks."

"Yeah." Vincent felt the corners of his mouth curl up into a wicked grin. "You know what else?"

"What's that?"

"That sort of makes me your uncle."

Cid sighed deeply. "You didn't marry Lucy, you just boned her, so I don't think it counts."

"Be that way." Vincent couldn't help himself. "I wouldn't want to have to claim you as a nephew, anyway. Just be glad that you didn't find out you were related to Tifa instead of me."

Cid shuddered with the thought. Committing incest, intentional or not, wasn't on his list of things to do. "Yeah, thank God."

"Hey, Junior?" Cid's father got up from his seat again.

He lifted his head so he could see him. "Yeah?"

"They said I could have a room here somewhere, so I was thinkin' I'd go find it and maybe go lay down for a while." He was already walking out.

"Okay." Cid let his head fall back to his pillow again.

"So, why did you tell everyone that he was dead?" Vincent asked, once Cid's father was gone.

"He and I just didn't see eye to eye for a long time." He felt no need to get into the details of the situation with Vincent. "But…we've worked through some of that."

"Oh. He looks and sounds just like you…maybe more of a drawl to his voice, but otherwise…" Vincent closed his eyes, thinking.

"Yeah." Cid rested his hands upon his stomach. "I was pretty fuckin' shocked at the whole Lucrecia thing, though."

"That's strange." Vincent let his head fall to the side so he could see his companion. "So was she your mother's sister?"

"Yup."

"I see." Vincent tersed his lips for a moment, as certain memories played across his mind for a few seconds.

Cid looked over, seeing the expression Vincent wore. He reached through the bars and swatted him in the arm. "Don't be thinkin' about that kind of thing! She was my aunt for God's sake!"

Vincent broke into a smile. "This is hilarious."

"How so?" Cid asked, withdrawing his hand back through the bars.

"Everything. No matter how much you and I have…disliked one another throughout the years, fate seems determined to keep paralleling our lives and tying us together. Our experiences, our loves, or attempts at suicide, our demons, reunions with estranged relatives…now we find out that for better or worse, we're in the same family." Vincent's smile lingered. "We're doomed to be friends, whether we want it or not, Cid."

"Fuck fate." Cid turned his gaze back up to the ceiling again. "Hey, Sue?"

"What?"

"How bad is it? I mean, I've watched you and Aaron both change…and I was wondering what it felt like." Cid closed his eyes, dreading the answer.

Vincent fell silent for a moment, thinking about it. He wasn't going to lie to Cid. "It hurts like hell."

"What happens?"

"Well, it starts off with you losing control of your emotions for whatever reason. Usually, it's anger, but I've lost it at other times, too. Once that happens, you become basically just a passenger as the demon takes over. I don't always remember what happens once I lose control, but sometimes I do. The transformation of my body, though, that I generally do remember. There's a pain that runs through me…like all of my muscles tearing and even my bones seem to hurt. Then, there comes this pressure on my back, by my shoulder blades. That means that my wings are coming, and when they rip out…that's probably about the worst part. They ache and burn at first as they develop and unfurl." He stopped, deciding to leave it at that.

Cid's mind flashed with the image of his nightmare that he'd had the night after getting his injection. "I had a dream about you right after I got the stuff that did this to me, even though I didn't know then that it wasn't the cancer cure."

This caught Vincent's attention and he looked over at Cid again, propping himself up on an elbow. "Did you?"

He nodded, rolling onto his side to face Vincent. "Yeah. You were sittin' out back of my house and you had wings. You told me, 'It wasn't what they thought' and 'Now I'll know', or some shit like that. There was a pain in my back and I fell forward. That was about it. I think maybe my body was trying to tell me that I'd been given something else. I don't know."

Vincent was interested to hear this. "I remember when I first awoke from stasis and Chaos began talking to me. I thought I was insane for a while, and I didn't know what to do. The voice kept asking me to give it a name. That's all I kept hearing. 'Give me a name, give me a name.' I remembered Hojo calling what he was giving to me the Chaos drug, so naturally, I called it Chaos. Right after that, I changed for the first time."

Cid sat up and swallowed hard. "Fuck…"

"What is it?" Vincent sat up as well, not liking the expression overcoming the pilot.

"I think…I think I might have sort of…named it." His gold eyes burned with fear. "It was hounding me about it and I thought…"

Vincent reached up and grabbed the bars that separated them. "You thought what?"

"I just thought that if it didn't stop harassing me I was gonna name it something stupid just to spite it." Cid looked away from him. "And after I did that, the voice said the name begets the form or something."

Vincent then thought about it. His demon didn't manifest physically at first until after being named, and he'd been told that Aaron had named his demon, too, prior to changing. "Cid, that was a very bad thing to do. And dare I ask what you named it?"

He frowned and his shoulders slumped. There was no way he was going to tell Vincent that he'd accidentally named his demon either Snowball or Mr. Snuggles. "Nothin'."

Vincent wasn't going to let this slide. If there was a demon potentially going to come out of his friend, he needed to know what to call it. "Cid, tell me! I'm not going to make fun of you for it."

Cid flashed an annoyed glare over at Vincent. "I said I ain't tellin' you."

"Cid, don't be shy about it. I promise I won't make fun of you." Vincent leaned closer to the bars.

The pilot gnashed his teeth and growled through them. "I think…I think I named it Snowball or Mr. Snuggles."

Vincent tried him damnedest not to react, but a stifled snort came from him, soon followed by outright laughing. He leaned back and fell off the bed, hitting the concrete floor hard, but even this didn't deter his laughter. "Oh…my God…make it one name…Mr. Snowball Snuggles!"

Cid's fists clenched in his lap and he got up from his bed and glowered down where Vincent was lying on the floor. "You said you wouldn't make fun of me!"

"Yeah," Vincent managed between giggles, "but I didn't think it was going to be something that gay!"

"Shut up!" Cid grabbed the bars and rattled them, wanting Vincent to stop.

However, Vincent was honestly amused and couldn't help himself. He struggled up to his feet, but kept on laughing. "Mr. Snowball Snuggles…holy shit that's great…"

"I said shut up!" Cid was downright infuriated now, and began to shake. Being confined and made fun of was just too much for him to bear. "Shut the fuck up or I'll kick your ass!"

Vincent raised his hands, indicating that he was going to try and get himself under control. "Okay, just…wait a second."

Cid drew in a deep breath, knowing that he needed to calm himself, but it wasn't working. His grip upon the bars before him tightened painfully. The pilot's gold eyes locked on to Vincent, his fury clear within them.

Vincent caught this look and suddenly, his amusement faded. "Cid…it's okay, just relax, all right?"

"You promised you wouldn't make fun of me…" he growled back. Cid bared his teeth, showing Vincent his newly descended fangs. "You promised…"

Vincent's eyes went wide upon seeing the elongated canines being displayed to him. "Cid, seriously, you need to calm down, you're losing it."

Cid wasn't in control of his emotions any longer. His demon was ready. The pilot felt a pain in his hands and pulled them away from the bars and looked at them. Claws were emerging from his fingertips and he realized what was happening. "Vincent…"

The former Turk didn't know what to do. Cid wasn't going to be able to stop this and he knew it. Luckily, he felt that the bars that contained both he and the pilot would keep this from escalating.

Cid closed his eyes and fell to his knees, catching a scream in his throat as the muscles of his body all cramped and knotted as they began to expand considerably. The pain he was in was growing by the second and he wasn't sure he could bear it.

Vincent took a few steps forward, fascinated. He had never seen a transformation from the outside, and his morbid curiosity got the better of him. The agony his friend was in was clear, and Vincent could relate to it all too well. "Cid, the more you just relax the less it will hurt."

The pilot didn't hear any of this and groaned loudly. He was afraid to look anymore, not wanting to see what he was becoming.

But Vincent watched. He saw everything.

Cid's skin didn't turn into the dark, reptile-like hide that covered Chaos, instead, he seemed to be getting a layer of short, gold fur. His body grew to the point where his clothes ripped away, falling to the ground around him as his unnaturally muscled frame was exposed. Cid's face changed, too, developing a muzzle and his ears became pointed, moving closer to the top of his head. Soon, a long tail appeared behind him, flicking angrily from side to side as Cid was still caught up in his misery. The pilot then fell forward, as a new pain started in his back, culminating when wings, not unlike Chaos' tore from his body, unfolding awkwardly behind him. With that, left the remaining signs of Cid's consciousness.

The beast stood up, his wings grazing the ceiling of the cell. His eyes locked onto Vincent, the demon's unbridled hatred obvious and burning within.

Vincent stared in disbelief over what he'd seen. There before him, kept at bay by what now looked to be piteously thin bars was this massive, ferral looking beast. It's glaring feline qualities told Vincent that he was looking at some new, probably improved demon. "Oh fuck… you're a cat…"

The beast stooped forward and gave an ear-shattering roar, causing Vincent to bend over and press his hands to the sides of his head. _And the sad thing is that Cid hates cats…_

Cid, or what had been Cid, stepped forward to the bars and grabbed them. Vincent watched in amazement at the metal gave way under the beast's incredible strength, snapping one by one as it worked to get a large enough gap between them to fit through.

Vincent backed up to the far wall of his cell. There was no one present to help him escape before this monster got to him and he feared what was going to happen once Cid got through those bars, and that was going to be soon. "Nothing's ever simple…"


	36. Chapter 36

Yeah, this one's short, but…I just wasn't in the mood today guys. I'm really sorry.

Chapter 36

Jaras wanted to die. For the moment, he no longer cared about anything other than the fact that he had been throwing up for well over four hours now. With every wretch, he felt like his entrails would rupture and spew forth from his body, since there was nothing left within him to purge. His ability to tolerate touch, sound, and light had improved after the first two hours had passed, but only to be replaced with body wrenching pain. All of his muscles burned as the Mako that he'd ingested fought the Jenova that had taken up residence within his body. He'd been sweating profusely and had removed his clothes with the help of Jeanine, leaving him in only his boxers upon the hospital bed.

This sweating, combined with his nausea, served to dehydrate him, making his physical misery that much worse. Brandon had offered to place an I.V. line into Jaras to help him with this fact, but Jaras, like his father, possessed certain dislikes for being messed with and he had refused. Now, however, he was beginning to realize the foolishness of this and questioned whether or not he'd even survive the next day or two with how badly he felt.

Throughout it all, Jeanine remained right at his bedside. After every bout of nausea that he suffered, she was there to wipe his face and take care of any mess, never complaining and constantly offering him reassuring smiles. She was profoundly worried over her husband's state, even though her father kept reminding her that such a reaction to Mako exposure was expected and normal. If all went well, Jaras would come out of this in a day or two just fine, but he would have to undergo further doses before all of the Jenova was killed within him-- or so they hoped.

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Another snap of a metal bar and the feline demon had enough room to push his torso through into Vincent's cell. His lower half got caught up, however, trapping the beast momentarily in the tangled metal of the cell's former wall.

Vincent was looking around for any weapon he could use to defend himself, knowing that it would be pointless when push came to shove, but he was unwilling to go without a fight. Seeing that the cell was barren of anything that he could employ in his defense, he just backed against the wall and stared at the monster that had now managed to pull his right leg through and was working on freeing his left.

Inside, Vincent found it fitting in a way that he was about to be torn apart in such a savage manner. After all, he'd killed plenty of people and creatures while in the form of his own demon, and now he'd know what it was like to suffer such a fate.

Not that Vincent wanted to die, because he didn't.

"Okay, look," Vincent raised his hands in a pathetic gesture, knowing that most likely, Cid wasn't going to hear a word of what he had to say, "go ahead and come over here and tear the living hell out of me, just get it all out of your system, Highwind. All I ask is that you stay down here and leave everyone else alone. Do we have a deal?"

The demon looked over at Vincent and roared once more, the sound paining Vincent's ears.

"I'll take that as a yes." Vincent looked away, giving thought to Tifa, Aaron, and Charlotte.

The beast finally pulled his form completely through the bars and stood there, slowly gathering himself before lunging at Vincent. His upper lips were pulled back, exposing his fangs, and he gave a low growl while folding his wings tightly upon his back.

Vincent looked back at the monster and gave a faint smirk. Even facing death, what he was about to say humored him. "Come and get me, Mr. Snuggles."

The demon hissed and then leapt, knocking Vincent to the ground with an incredible force. Vincent's head swam from the impact against the concrete floor and he opened his eyes, finding himself face to face with the creature.

His gold eyes narrowed and he opened his jaws before attempting to bend down to get Vincent's neck between his teeth. Instinctively, Vincent tried to put his arms up to block this, but his right one was pinned by the demon, leaving only his left to come up and offer any protection.

Vincent's left arm was caught in the demon's jaws and bitten into, and the creature had no intention of letting go. The beast began to shake his head from side to side, allowing his teeth to sink further and further into Vincent's muscle and bone.

Vincent shrieked in the agony of this as he felt the bone above his elbow snap. His own blood was covering him as the beast refused to let go or quit shaking. Having seen Tifa's cat at home catch mice and hold them in its jaws, then shaking the hapless creatures to shreds like this, Vincent knew what he was in for. Not to mention that he suddenly had a lot more sympathy for the poor rodents.

The pain in his arm grew worse and then the demon raised his head and Vincent realized that his arm was still in the beast's mouth, yet he didn't feel any pull. He quickly closed his eyes and refused to look, knowing what had been done. "Just kill me and get it over with, Cid."

The demon slung his head to the side, throwing Vincent's dismembered arm against the cage bars. As he did so, he caught sight of the cell door and realized that escaping was probably a better idea than remaining here and finishing off Vincent. The demon stood up and stalked over to the door, grabbing it within his strong hands and with one sharp tug, snapped the door cleanly from its hinges.

Vincent panted to catch his breath when he felt the creature get off of him, thankful for this reprieve, focusing on the horrendous pain in his truncated left arm. When he heard the cell door ripped open and then hurled to the ground, Vincent was jolted to attention. He knew that the worst possible thing for Cid to do at the moment was get out. Anyone he encountered while in this form was doomed, and Vincent knew he couldn't let that happen. He clenched his teeth through his agony and struggled to his feet, determined to do something, even though he knew not what.

Once up, however, he felt the color drain from his face and his ears started ringing. The trauma of having had his left arm torn off was getting the better of him and he started to pass out.

_This is pathetic, _came a voice from deep within Vincent's mind. _You go to measures to see that I'm removed from your body and within jus t days you find yourself in a situation where you need me._

Vincent closed his eyes, trying to fight the impending darkness. _Either come out and help or shut the fuck up._

So be it, I'll stop him. You better get on your knees tonight, Vincent, and thank your ever loving God that you forgot your damned injection this morning.

Vincent couldn't fight the dizziness that was washing over him and he fell to the ground, unconscious.

Cid, or rather, his demon, looked back once at Vincent's unconscious form before stepping out of the cell and heading toward the corridor that would eventually lead to the airfield. He got several yards down the corridor before he heard something behind him.

A growling voice boomed out. "Where do you think you're going?"

He spun around, seeing the all too familiar sight of Chaos. His lips pulled back into a sneer. "You're no match for me, Chaos. Leave me alone."

"No, I've not had a good fight in a long time." Chaos slowly neared, having to stoop slightly within the confines of the hallway. "Here, kitty, kitty…"

This taunt was more than Cid's demon was willing to take. He spun and charged Chaos. Vincent's demon, in turn, crouched down, ready for the attack. When the feline beast reached him, Chaos attempted to grab a hold of him but Cid's demon was far stronger than he, and Chaos was flung back several yards.

Cid flexed his claws and lowered his head, hissing. He knew that he would be able to take Chaos in a flat out fight.

Chaos picked himself up, stunned from being tossed back like he had been. The discrepancy in their physical strengths was immediately clear to him. "Well, at least I'm not named Mr. Snowball Snuggles."

This didn't particularly thrill the other beast and he charged again, this time taking Chaos to the ground. They grappled against one another for several minutes. Chaos may not have been as strong, but he was far more experienced in fighting and he found himself on top and throttling the other beast. Knowing that this was Cid's first transformation, Chaos was a little perplexed at how his demon was keeping control this long without reverting back. "Do you not get tired?"

The feline beast managed to get his hands upon Chaos' arms and pulled them from his neck. He used his wings that were behind him against the ground as a lever to push himself up, sending them crashing back to the floor, this time with Chaos on the bottom. Chaos got in one good blow during this, though, and four deep gashes were opened upon the other demon's chest, his fur soon becoming stained with the copious amount of blood that ran forth.

Quigley was walking with Amy and heard something horrible scream out from a corridor not too far away. He looked into his girlfriend's eyes and let go of her hand. "Stay here, understand?"

She nodded at him as a lupine howl rang through the base again, scaring her. "Quig, be careful!"

He was already jogging off in the direction of the sound. "I will. Go to your room and lock the door!"

Amy was afraid for Quigley, but knew better than to question him on this. Something terribly wrong was going on, and from the sounds of it, it wasn't something that she wanted to see, anyway.

Quigley already had his suspicions over what was taking place, and he dreaded what he would find. As he came around a corner, his eyes went wide as he saw the two demons wrestling one another. He hesitated for a moment, not knowing what to do before he spun back around and ran off. He needed to go get to Porter or Reno.

Neither of the monsters noticed as the researcher came and went, being too absorbed in their fight to care. Chaos was still beneath the other creature, his throat being crushed in the strangle hold that his opponent had upon him. Things weren't looking good.

----------------------------------------

Reno was sitting at his desk, eyes fixed upon the porn link that'd he'd found in an email. He didn't notice Quigley's approach until the researcher was at his side.

Quigley was out of breath after running all the way to find his boss. "Reno! We've got a problem!"

Immediately flushing red in his embarrassment, Reno reached forward and flicked off his monitor before looking at the blond. "Wh…what's the big crisis?"

Quigley had caught a glimpse of what had been on the screen, but was too upset to dwell on it for the time being. "Demons…both of them, and they're fighting!"

Reno got up, frowning. "The fuck? Both of them? Vinny _and_ Cid?"

The researcher nodded. "They're going to kill each other, we need to hurry!"

"I don't really know what in the hell we're supposed to do, Quiggers." Reno tried to think. "Wait, they're locked up!"

"No, they most certainly are not! They're in the corridor between the detention block and the private quarters." Quigley was already backing up, wanting to get back to the scene of the fight. "Come on!"

"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" Reno slammed a hand upon his desk before grabbing his cane and following Quigley. He reached beneath his suit jacket to make sure that he was carrying his gun. Sure enough, it was there.

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Chaos had struggled out from beneath the other demon and tried to get some distance between them, but found himself violently jerked back by his tail and pulled into the arms of his advisari. He was crushed within that muscular grip for a moment, before finding himself picked up and hurled back into the corridor.

Chaos hit the wall and fell to the ground, panting. His wings both hung behind him broken, having been shattered early on in the fight. His strength was fading him and he realized that he was going to lose control back to Vincent fairly soon and that when that happened, Vincent would be done for.

Reno and Quigley appeared around the corner, seeing Chaos lying on the ground just before them, and the new, feline demon just a short distance off, approaching slowly, obviously set on killing Chaos.

Reno pulled out his gun and looked over at Quigley. "Well, this is just wonderful."

"What do we do?" Quigley asked, hoping that his leader had some sort of plan.

"I have no fuckin' idea, Quiggers." He cocked his gun and held it up. "Both of you! Knock it off!"

Both demons looked at him. Chaos narrowed his eyes. He needed help, but Reno and his lab geek companion would do him no good. "You'll need more firepower."

Reno considered the gun in his hand, and knew that it was true. "Yeah, well…"

The other demon once more roared, causing Quigley and Reno to turn away, covering their ears. That done, it came forward and pounced upon Chaos once more, this time managing to sink his teeth into the base of Chaos' neck.

Chaos screamed at this pain, and attempted to push the other beast off of him, but his ability to do so was lacking.

Reno honestly was at a loss for what to do. He knew that the cat like thing was well on his way to killing Chaos and thus Vincent and so he raised his gun once more and fired off a shot.

The beast let go of Chaos' neck and sat up quickly, looking at the wound that was burning within his right shoulder. Not having that same thick reptilian hide that Chaos did, Mr. Snuggles (all right, I'm sorry I named him that now) was slightly more susceptible to gunfire than his opponent. However, he now trained his gaze on Reno.

Seeing that he had successfully drawn the demon's attention. Reno spun around and attempted to run. "Come on and follow me you fucker!"

Cid's demon looked down briefly, seeing that Chaos was no longer moving and rose up, taking chase after Reno.

Quigley flattened himself against the wall as Cid's demon rushed past him, intent on catching Reno. The speed of the creature made it obvious that Reno wasn't going to get very far before the beast caught up with him, but to Reno's credit, he was going as fast as he possibly could, running and having dropped his cane far behind him.

Chaos, badly injured and severely wounded, gave up and let Vincent have his own form back.

Reno looked back over his shoulder as he ran, seeing the monster quickly catching up with him. There was a door before him at the end of the hall and he reached into his pocket, searching for the key he carried for it. When he reached the door, he struggled to get the key into the lock with his shaking hand, and had to give it several tries. Finally, the key slipped into the lock and the door opened. Reno hurried inside and then saw the demon terribly close. He fired off a few more shots and then slammed the door.

The feline beast hit the door hard, but it held. There was a horrible pain in his abdomen and he looked down, seeing that Reno's last three shots had struck him there. He wavered where he stood, before collapsing to his knees. After all that he had been through, the demon was finally losing his hold over Cid.

Reno stood in the silence of the abandoned room he was in, panting to catch his breath. He smiled, realizing that retreating into Tseng's room had possibly saved his life. "Thanks."

Cid's consciousness slowly crept back to him. The pain in his midsection was unbearable and he cinched his arms down around his waist, groaning in his misery. "Oh fuck, what happened..?"

Reno, still leaning against the inside of the door heard the agonized comment and hoped that it meant that Cid was himself. He turned, cracked open the door, and looked out. He spotted the pilot, marked with blood lying on the ground.

Cid felt someone's hands upon him and he forced his eyes open, finding himself looking up at Reno. "What's goin' on?"

Reno reached down and pulled back the pilot's arms, seeing the bullet wounds. He knew that they were serious by their location and he knew he had to act. "You just freaked out for a little there."

Cid gnashed his teeth and closed his eyes as he saw Reno pull out his cell phone. He heard the quick conversation that Reno had with someone, requesting medical help. Cid couldn't help but realize that he wasn't wearing anything. His eyes opened again and he lifted his head a little, looking down at his body, confirming his fear.

After requesting medical assistance, Reno shoved his phone back into his pocket and looked at Cid once more. "How you doing?"

Cid grunted in response. "Why the fuck am I undressed?"

"Oh…" Reno honestly hadn't paid that much attention to the pilot's unclothed status. He pulled off his suit coat and covered Cid with it, opting to give the guy a little dignity. "You fucked up Vinny pretty bad."

Suddenly, Cid remembered transforming into the demon and his eyes went wide. "Oh shit…is he okay?"

Reno gave him a weak smile. He had no idea how Vincent was fairing, and opted to lie. "Yeah, you know Vinny. Nothin' keeps him down."

Cid seemed to accept this answer and he let his head hit the floor again. He was slipping into shock from his injuries, and his world started to spin.

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Quigley turned his attention to Vincent and went to his side, seeing that he'd retaken his own form again. Once beside Vincent, he covered his mouth with his hands. The right side of Vincent's neck was lain open and bleeding severely. He scanned the rest of Vincent's body, seeing various other gashes and injuries and then he noticed what had happened to Vincent's left arm, seeing that it simply wasn't there below the elbow anymore.

He gently placed a hand upon the side of Vincent's face. "Vincent?"

Vincent moaned quietly in response, not quite conscious. He rolled onto his right side, what was left of his injured arm moving weakly as the pain from it ran though his body.

"Okay, just hold on." Quigley looked up and down the corridor they were in, seeing some of the medical staff and Janice running toward where Reno was with Cid. He called out to them, knowing that Vincent was in desperate need of their help as well. "Hey! Janice! Kyle! Someone!"

Janice, having been told that Cid was suffering gunshot wounds kept on her way toward the pilot, but she glanced over at Kyle, giving him permission to go see what had happened to Vincent.

Kyle hurried over to Quigley and looked down upon Vincent, quickly assessing the situation. Knowing that Vincent wasn't in any shape to wait for help, he stooped down and picked up Vincent in his arms, carrying him toward the infirmary.

Janice, in the meanwhile knelt at Cid's side. "Reno, hold his arms back so I can see."

Once more, Reno took Cid's wrists in his hands and pulled them back, revealing his injuries to the doctor. "How bad is it?"

Dr. Arlin wasn't happy with the locations of the entry wounds, or the amount of blood that was coming from them. Yet, seeing that Cid was still somewhat conscious, she didn't want to alarm him. "Let's just get him to the infirmary. Reno, call Angel and see if she's feeling up to helping. I'll either need her help in surgery here with Cid or she can help deal with whatever is wrong with Vincent."

Reno quickly complied and pulled out his phone again, stepping back as Janice's medical team carted Cid off toward the infirmary. He dialed the number to the house as Angel had remained there with Dana today.

Angel, having been suffering from nausea all day, answered the phone on the fourth ring. "Hello?"

"Babe," Reno smiled instinctively upon hearing her voice, "we need you in the infirmary."

She sat up from her position on the couch. "Why? What's going on?"

Reno looked back down the hall, seeing everyone heading off with the injured men. "Well, Cid sorta turned into something and he and Vincent got into it. Vincent changed, too. They're both pretty fucked."

This was the last thing that Angel wanted to hear. Her main concern was over her father, as she still had some unpleasant sentiments toward Cid at the moment. "How bad is my dad hurt?"

"I don't really know. I only got a good look at Cid." Reno dropped his gaze to the floor.

"Okay, I'll be there in a little bit. I'll take Dana to Jessie's." Angel sighed heavily and hung up the phone. She feared what she'd see when she got to the base.


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37

The door to the room flew open, and Tifa looked up, seeing Reno there, pale as a ghost and clearly upset. "Reno? What's going on?"

"Come on, Tifa. You need to go with me."

She rose to her feet and looked over at Charlotte who was sleeping on the bed, and then over at Aaron, who was playing his game. She addressed her son, knowing that something terrible must have happened. "Aaron?"

The boy looked up. "Yeah?"

"Keep an eye on Charlotte, okay?"

He nodded and went right back to playing his game, figuring he'd find out what the big deal was once his mother returned.

Seeing that she had his agreement, Tifa hurried over to Reno. "What's going on?"

He turned and headed toward the infirmary, knowing that she would follow. Reno knew that he had to give her the heads up before they got to their destination, so that she would be able to cope with the situation. "Okay, uh, I've got some real bad news."

"What?" Tifa grabbed his arm, stopping him.

Reno turned to face her. "Cid and Vincent got into a fight."

She knit her brow and crossed her arms over her chest. "God damn them! What did they do?"

"It's not about what they did, it's about what Chaos and…and whatever in the hell Cid turned into did." Reno's shoulders slumped. He hated being the bearer of bad news, and this was _bad_.

Tifa gasped and put her hands up to her mouth. It was then that she noticed the blood streaking the front of Reno's white dress shirt. "Oh God…what happened? Is Vincent okay?"

"They both got fucked up." He swallowed hard. "Tifa, Vincent…he's hurt real bad, okay? I just want you to be prepared for what happened to him."

Tifa was mortified. "Reno…what in the hell happened to him?"

"I'm gonna just have to show you." Reno turned from her and started walking again.

Tifa, now shaking in her terror, followed along at a slight distance. "Reno…"

Reno didn't turn to face her again or stop. He just wanted to get her to the infirmary.

When they reached the doors to the infirmary, Reno took a deep breath and glanced back at Tifa. "I'm just gonna tell you that Vincent's going to live, okay?"

The way he said that sent a chill down her spine. "Good…so…what about..?"

He frowned. "We don't know about Cid, Tifa. I…I had to shoot him."

She closed her eyes for a moment and then nodded. Tifa was as ready as she figured she would ever get.

With that, Reno opened the doors and went forward. Tifa went in behind him, quickly spotting Vincent in a bed nearby. Angel was at his side, placing an intravenous line into his right arm. Tifa hurried to Vincent, looking down upon him.

Vincent wasn't conscious at the moment, and was naked and covered in blood upon the bed. He had multiple gashes upon his body, and there was a massive wound on the right side of his neck. Clearly, fang marks could be seen around the missing mass of flesh there. The wound was bleeding considerably and she found herself staring at it.

Angel glanced up at her, but got back to the task of taping in his I.V. line. For the moment, she wasn't going to let her personal feelings about the situation get to her. She had a job to do and unfortunately, comforting Tifa wasn't it for now.

Tifa looked back at Vincent's face and reached forward to touch his cheek. "Vincent?"

He groaned and then cracked open his eyes. "Tifa…"

She forced a smile. "Hey, you're all right."

Vincent winced and tried to touch her, but found that Angel was restraining his right arm. In light of this, he lifted his left arm, which was closer to Tifa anyway. He realized that something was wrong and turned his eyes, seeing what Tifa hadn't yet noticed. Instantly, Vincent began to hyperventilate.

Tifa didn't understand at first, and then she looked down, seeing it. His left arm was raised slightly, but from the elbow down it was missing. A tourniquet had been placed around his upper arm, to curb the bleeding, but the wound was grotesque, with bone fragments, tendons, and muscles all crudely exposed. She felt herself waver and start to fall.

Vincent paid no heed to his wife passing out and hitting the floor as his arm-- or the lack of most of it-- was all that he was aware of. "Oh God…no…"

Angel had his I.V. in place and quickly picked up a syringe of a sedative. She knew she had to get it into him before he came unglued. After dispensing the contents of the syringe into him, Vincent's eyes rolled back and his head hit the pillow. For the moment, he was under control. That done, Angel ran around the bed and saw Tifa sprawled out on the floor. Angel knelt at her side and shook her gently. "Tifa?"

Tifa reached up and placed her hands on the sides of her head, as it was splitting with pain. "Angel…"

"Just stay put for a minute until you get your bearings," she said gently. "He's going to be all right, okay?"

Tears came to Tifa's eyes. "No, he's not…that was his worst fear! Poor Vincent…"

"Well, for now he's sleeping. Once Janice gets Cid taken care of and out of surgery, she'll get his neck closed up and…" Angel let her words trail off. Vincent's arm had been retrieved from the detention cell and it had been already deemed too badly damaged for any attempt at reattachment. However, they had the technology to clone him a new arm, although the process would take several months. "His arm will be fixed, Tifa. If we could make him an entire body, we certainly can take care of just an arm. You have to be strong for him right now, all right?"

Tifa dared to sit up, feeling her stomach turn as she did so. After suppressing the urge to vomit, she looked at Angel. With all that she'd seen Vincent go through before, she knew he would overcome this. "And what about Cid?"

Angel stood up and sighed. "Like I said, Janice is working on him now. He was shot three times. She's doing all she can."

Tifa rose, supporting herself upon the table beside Vincent's bed. She couldn't bring herself to look at him for the moment. "So, Cid did this to him?"

"I didn't see it. I wasn't even in the base." Angel pointed over to where Reno had landed in a chair on the other side of the room. "He was there."

Tifa looked over at the ASRIO leader, and then made her way over to him. She stopped right in front of him. "Reno?"

He turned his eye up to her, looking concerned. "Hey."

"What happened?"

Seeing that Tifa was in danger of possibly passing out again, he got up and offered her the chair. After she sat, he hopped onto the edge of the nearest bed. "I didn't see the beginning of it. I'd taken Vincent down there and when he told me that he'd forgotten his last dose of that anti-Chaos stuff, I locked him up, thinking that Cid and him would be safe down there. They were left alone and I don't know what they said to each other or whatever, but I'd gone back to my desk and Quigley came running up to me. He told me that Cid and Vinny were at it, and that they'd gotten out of the cells and were both…whatever in the hell it is they turn into. He took me to where they were fighting and we got there, seeing Chaos getting his ever loving ass kicked by Cid's…uh, cat thingie."

"Cat?" Tifa knit her brow and leaned forward.

"Cat from hell. He was all massively muscular and had wings like Vinny, but yeah, he was some kinda cat thing." Reno shrugged. "Anyway, so Cid jumps on Chaos and bites him in the neck. I figured I had to do something otherwise Vinny was gonna have his head ripped off. I shot the Cid cat thingie in the shoulder and he let go of Chaos and came after me. I ran to an empty room but I fired back at Cid before slamming the door."

"And then?" Tifa searched his expression.

"Then I heard Cid talking in the hallway, and I opened the door, seeing that he'd gone back to being himself. I called for medical assistance and got him here. Then they came in with Vinny and I saw that his arm…well, you saw it." He looked away from her, not wanting to see the tears that were in Tifa's eyes.

"Okay." Tifa hung her head, her shoulders heaving.

Reno got up and came over, kneeling before her. He placed a hand against her cheek. "Come on, Tifa. It'll be okay."

"It's never okay." She covered his hand with hers, needing the comfort. "It's never okay…"

Reno moved closer and put his arms around her. He let her cry, knowing that it was all he could do at the moment. After all, she was right. Things just never seemed to give Tifa, Vincent, or anyone else a break.

Angel came over. "Hey, Tifa?"

She pulled back from Reno and looked up at her. "Yeah?"

"I'm going to go take Vincent back and get him prepped for surgery. Come say goodbye to him for now." Angel gave her a smile.

Reno moved out of the way so that Tifa could get up. She went back to Vincent's side and leaned close to his face. Tifa stroked his hair for a second. "Vincent?"

He seemed to acknowledge her by opening his eyes for a moment.

"I love you," Tifa whispered to him before bending forward further and kissing his lips gently.

Vincent offered her a weak smile before closing his eyes again and letting the sedation that he'd been given carry him off. He'd wanted to tell her that he loved her, too, but he didn't get the chance.

With that, Angel unlocked the brakes on his bed and took him away. Tifa went over and sat back in the chair she'd just been in.

Reno sat on the bed close to her again. "You going to be okay?"  
Tifa offered him a polite smile. "I have to be. I've got kids to take care of."

"Yeah." Reno figured he would help her out. "You want me to go watch Mini Vinny and the baby so you can stay here?"

She nodded, not minding his nickname for her son. It was, after all, accurate. "Reno, I would really appreciate it. Aaron likes you."

"Cool." He stood up. "I'll go do that. Tifa?"

"Huh?"

He came forward and bent to give her a quick kiss on the cheek. "Love ya, you know that?"

She laughed quietly. "Yeah, love ya, too."

Reno nodded. "Well, as long as Angel…and you do, then that's fine with me. I'll see you when you come back to the room."

"Okay." Reno walked from the room, leaving Tifa alone.

She sat there in silence for several minutes, dwelling on what had happened. Then, the doors were thrown open and someone came in. Tifa didn't look up, but when she heard a familiar voice, she became confused.

"Well, where in the fuck is everyone?"

Tifa knit her brow upon hearing Cid's voice. He was supposed to be in surgery and she didn't know what was going on. She lifted her head and looked up, seeing an older version of her friend standing a short distance away. Remaining silent, she just stared.

Cid Sr. saw her sitting there, and his eyes lit up. He swaggered over to her and extended his hand. "Name's Cid, and you are?"

Tifa was absolutely confounded. She wondered if she was dreaming. "I…I'm Tifa."

The old man looked her up and down for a moment, a shine of approval in his eyes. "Nice to met you, Tifa. You have any idea what's goin' on? I came here lookin' for Junior."

Stressed and mentally exhausted, Tifa didn't quite follow. "Junior?"

"Yeah, my boy." He leaned against the nearby bed. "I was just told by that Reno fella that my boy was brought here after gettin' into some sorta fight."

Things suddenly fell into place for her, but she couldn't believe it. "You're Cid's father?"

"I figured that was obvious enough."

Tifa nodded. Had she known that he was alive, it would have been, but just like everyone else, she had been told that this man was dead. "Yeah, it is, I'm sorry."

"Told you I was dead too, huh?" He looked a little hurt and dropped his gaze to the floor.

Tifa nodded. "He did." She saw how disappointed the old man looked and opted to change the subject. "In any event, they've got him back there in surgery. I guess he was shot."

"Shit." Cid Sr. tensed his jaw and his shoulders slumped. "This is just a big fuckin' nightmare."

"Don't I know it." Tifa hung her head again. "Not only is Cid back there fighting for his life, but my husband who he was fighting with is back there, too."

"You're married, huh?" His voice reflected some measure of disappointment.

Tifa's head snapped up and she couldn't help but smile at him. "Yeah, I sure am."

"Damn shame." He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. "You mind?"  
"I don't, but I think that the doctor would have something to say about you doing that in here." Tifa knew that this was pointless, as he already had one pulled out and was preparing to light it. Obviously, Cid had gotten much of his personality and not just his looks and voice from his father.

"Fuck doctors." Cid Sr. took a long drag and then moved to sit on the bed next to him. "So, Tifa, huh?"

She nodded.

"The Tifa that was with AVALANCHE?" he asked, already having his suspicions.

"I'm afraid so."

"You've known Junior for a while, then." The old man looked over at her again, and from the expression he wore, Tifa was fairly certain he was undressing her with his eyes.

"I have. It's been about fourteen years, I think." She offered him a faint smile before looking away.

"I bet he likes you."

Tifa raised her eyebrows, staring down at the floor. She wasn't sure what she was supposed to say to that. "I guess."

"Yeah, I bet he does." He smiled, knowing his son well enough. "He's always been a sucker for a pretty girl, just like his old man."

She couldn't help but laugh a little at this. Tifa brought her gaze up to meet his once more and she felt herself blush a little.

He saw the redness creep into her face and he smirked. "Sorry, I didn't mean to embarrass you. I'm too old to be flirtin' anyway, I guess."

Tifa outright laughed this time. She found herself liking Cid's father and was glad for the company.

They both looked over at the doors when Quigley and Porter walked in.

Quigley came right over and looked at Tifa. "Where's Vincent?"

"They took him in back to get to work on him," she replied.

The researcher looked down at the syringe in his hand. "Oh, well, I've got some of the anti-Chaos drug here and I thought we should give it to him before he has a chance to do anything again."

Tifa shook her head. "Quig, you can't give that to him until he heals from his injuries. He'll be better in the morning…minus his arm, that is, but…"

"I don't know if we can risk waiting that long." He ran a hand through his disheveled hair. "I mean, I know it would be nice to let him recuperate with the speed that the demon gives him, but if he turned again and hurt anyone, you know what that would mean."

"He can't change again that quickly!" Tifa stood up. She felt that she was the authority when it came to how often Vincent could change. "Just give him until tomorrow morning."

Quigley slipped the syringe into his pocket and sighed. "Well, I'm going to have to wait until he comes out of surgery anyway. We'll leave it up to Dr. Arlin's discretion."

Tifa landed back in her chair heavily, knowing that it was honestly all out of her control. "Damn it."

Cid Sr. looked at Quigley. "And what about Junior? You got anything made up to help him yet?"

"It's still going to be a few hours. We've got it in the compounding machine being made up now." Quigley sighed and let his regret over the situation wash over him. "This is all my fault."

Porter came over and put his arm around his friend's shoulders. "Quig, it's not your fault. Stop saying that."

"No, I was an idiot for thinking that things could actually go smoothly for me." He gave a pathetic smile and then shook his head. "My next trick will be to do something stupid and lose Amy."

"Stop it," Porter said, shaking him. "If it wasn't for you, we never would have been able to help Vincent and Aaron, and if it wasn't for you, Vincent would still be a machine for the most part."

Quigley closed his eyes, envisioning Vincent lying there after the attack. "Vincent…"

Angel came out from the back and saw Quigley, waving him over. Once Quigley was at her side, she began to speak to him in hushed tones.

Tifa watched from where she sat. Angel grabbed Quigley's left arm and traced a line upon it just above the elbow as she said something to him. She saw Quigley then nod slowly, before gesturing at his left arm with his right. Angel nodded in response to the and then pointed back toward the surgery suite doors. With that, Quigley spun and walked from the infirmary quickly, without looking at anyone as he went. Angel hurried back through the doors toward surgery, vanishing.

Porter had watched as well, and shrugged before looking back at Tifa and Cid Sr. "So, are you two doing all right?"

"Just want a fuckin update on how Junior's doin'," the old man huffed, pulling his spent cigarette from his lips and dropping it into a nearby metal garbage can.

Porter frowned. "I'm sure if they had anything to say at the moment, that they would have. Just think of no news as good news."

Cid Sr.'s blue eyes reflected his frustration and he scowled. "I don't like not knowin' what's goin' on."

"I appreciate that, but we can't go in there and disrupt the doctor's work." Porter locked gazes with the other man. "I'm sure she's doing all she can."

"Woman doc, huh?"

Porter narrowed his eyes. He took Cid Sr.'s comment with displeasure. Dr. Arlin had saved his life and preserved his ability to walk after he'd been shot by Hojo seven years back. "Janice Arlin is the best damn doctor I've ever known. God knows I've seen her do some amazing things. Your son couldn't be in better hands."

The old man raised his hands in defense. "No, I wasn't sayin' it because I've got a problem with it. I was sayin' it because I think it's great. I know that you guys wouldn't have some crackpot working in a place like this. She'd have to be the best."

Porter felt a little bad for becoming so defensive over Janice, but he was fiercely loyal to her. "I'm sorry."

"It's all right." Cid Sr. turned his gaze back to Tifa, seeing that she had lost her focus on the present and was staring off into space. "Miss?"

She surfaced back to reality and slipped out of the daydream she'd fallen into. "Yeah?"

"Just checkin' in on you. Seemed to be spaced out there." He gave her that trademark Highwind smirk.

Tifa found herself admiring him again, seeking some distraction from the pain in her heart. A smile came to her lips again. "Oh, yeah. Sorry."

The doors the infirmary were thrown open and Brad ran in, panting to catch his breath. He looked around, his eyes falling upon Cid Sr. and growing wide. "Oh…fuck."

The old man straightened up and met his other estranged son's glare. "Bradley?"

"D…Dad?" He took a step backward, looking confused. "What…where did you come from?"

Tifa switched her gaze between the two men, suddenly making a realization. Brad and Cid must be brothers. Why Cid and Brad had never mentioned a thing about this to her bothered her, but she figured she'd get an explanation later. It made sense to her, however, as Brad had always reminded her of Cid in a lot of ways.

Porter felt the tension setting in between Brad and Cid Sr., and knew that they should probably be given their space for a moment. He extended his hand toward Tifa. "Come on, I think they need to talk."

Tifa nodded weakly and took Porter's hand, allowing him to help her up and then lead her from the scene. She looked back over her shoulder at Brad and the old man one more time before Porter had her out into the corridor.

Brad paid little notice to Tifa and Porter leaving. He was in too much shock.

Cid Sr. crossed his arms over his chest. "I went to visit Junior after gettin' word that he had a kid. He then felt the need to come here and I went with him. We…we sort of reconciled things a little during the trip."

Brad stared at him blankly. "Oh…"

"Junior said the funniest thing, though." The old man let his arms fall back to his sides. "He told me he'd known you for years but you'd never said nothin' about you havin' the same father as he did. Now, I know he never knew your name, but you sure as hell knew who he was with his name and all. Sorta begs the question why you never said shit to him about the whole mess?"

The chopper pilot didn't respond immediately. His mind was reeling with the knowledge that his father was here and had come here with Cid. Finally, he shook himself out of his state and moved a tiny bit closer. "Yeah, I knew who he was the day I met him. And to be real honest with you, I didn't speak to him much in the beginning because quite frankly, I saw too damn much of you in him. We got assigned to the same unit, though, and after a while, I warmed up to him a little. He was oblivious as to who I was and after we got drunk one night and he revealed to me how much he hated you, well, I figured it was in my best interest to never tell him the truth. Once we got out of the military, we made contact occasionally, but… Seven years ago, he ended up having dealings with ASRIO and we were reunited. Since then, we've been in contact here and there, and in light of the past, I still kept my mouth shut about us being brothers. I mean, I was happy with the way things were. My own God damned wife doesn't even know, okay?"

Some of the things that Brad said hit the old man hard and he hung his head. "I know why Cid hated me… What about you, Bradley?"

Now Brad grew even more uncomfortable. "I…I didn't hate you per se, but…"

"But what, Bradley? I think I at least deserve a fuckin' explanation." Cid Sr. took a few steps toward his son.

Brad, ever calm Brad, snapped and years worth of frustration flooded out. "Do you want to know the truth? Okay, here it is. Do you know what it's like to live for thirteen years thinking one man is your father, only to find out later that your dad's supposed best friend is actually the one who's responsible for you? That's some pretty tough shit to deal with at that age! Then, when Mom finally got that divorce and got together with you, my life was pretty much turned upside down. That's why I joined the service when I was only seventeen, so I could get out of the God damned house. Then when I met Cid and heard his side of the story, I can't say that helped my feelings much. Once Mom died, I guess felt that I had no reason to deal with you anymore."

"Okay, that's fair enough. I want you to know that your mother was the love of my life, though. I know that doesn't mean a damn thing to you, but it's the truth." He turned away and went over to the chair that Tifa had vacated and landed in it heavily. Cid Sr. leaned forward and placed his head in his hands. Whereas he was able to work though some of his issues with Cid, Brad was going to be a different case all together. Cid had at one time at least loved him, making a reconciliation possible, but there had never seemed to be any love lost from Brad. He felt a sting in his eyes and was ashamed of the past. "Bradley, I'm sorry. If you wanna wait for Junior, I can leave. I'll come see him later."

Brad almost took his offer, but hearing the tears in his father's voice got the better of him. The old man seemed lonely and completely at a loss for anything. If Cid was able to find something redeeming in this man after all these years, then maybe there was something worthwhile within him. If nothing else, Brad couldn't complain about how Cid Sr. had treated his mother. She had loved the old bastard with every fiber of her being, and for that, Brad was at least grateful. "Naw, we can wait for him together. I don't mind."

The old man looked up with hope in his eyes. "You sure?"

"Yeah." Brad closed the remaining distance between them and landed upon the edge of the nearby bed.

Cid Sr. felt the need to fill the silence between them. "So, how's Lilly and the kids doin'?"

"Good, they're all doing good." Brad smiled at the thought of his family.

"I haven't seen your kids since…well, since Joanna's funeral." He closed his eyes for a moment.

"Yeah." That had been the last time that Brad had seen his father as well. "They're doing great."

"Good to hear."

Their attention was drawn as the doors to the surgery suite were opened up and Cid was brought out. His bed was put in its place, and he was quickly hooked up to a few monitors and I.V. fluids. Once the nurses had him situated, one of them looked to Cid Sr. and Brad who'd come over. "Are you two going to be here for a while?"

"Yeah, we're gonna be with him," Cid Sr. replied quietly.

"All right." She turned back toward the surgery suite. "We need to go help the doctor with the other patient."

Cid Sr. and Brad took up opposite sides of Cid's bed and looked down upon him. With his body covered with the bed sheet, his wounds were mostly hidden from them.

Brad felt tears in his eyes and had to turn away. "Hey, I'm…I'm going to go find Tifa. I know she'll want to see him, too."

"Okay," his father replied, without taking his eyes from Cid.

Brad walked from the room to go gather his composure and then find Tifa.

Cid Sr. reached out and picked up his son's hand. "Hey, you…you okay?"

Cid's eyes cracked open for a moment. "Dad?"

"Yeah." He smiled and tightened his grip. "Are you feelin' all right?"

Cid closed his eyes again. With the copious amounts of painkillers in his system, he thought he was absolutely fine. "I'm great."

The old man smiled. "Good."

Brad returned a few minutes later with Tifa at his side.

Cid opened his eyes again and looked to the other side of his bed, spotting first Tifa and giving her a faint smile, then seeing Brad. His groggy mind was able to put two and two together and he switched his gaze back over to his father. "Oh…"

"It's all right." Cid Sr. let go of his son's hand. "It's all out on the table now."

He closed his eyes once more, and took a deep breath as a pain shot through his body. Cid managed through this and then relaxed again as the pain abated. Without looking, he reached up and grabbed Tifa's hand.

Tifa stared down, seeing their hands interlaced, giving only passing thought to whether or not Vincent would approve. She pushed this to the side for the moment, though, since this was an extreme circumstance. Cid seemed to need this for now.

Quigley then slipped back into the infirmary with a large box in his hands. He tried to make it to the surgery suite doors. When he heard Tifa quietly call his name, he cringed and stopped walking.

"Quigley, what are you doing?" she asked, her voice hushed.

He didn't turn to face her, not wanting to tell her. "Nothing, they just needed something that I had, that's all."

Tifa was going to question him on this further, but Quigley hurried forward and disappeared through the surgery suite doors. She opted to let it slide and turned her attention back to her friend.

------------------

"What's Mom doing?" Aaron asked, setting down his video game and looking over at his brother-in-law.

Reno turned his attention away from the television and over at the boy. "She's just checking on something."

Aaron remembered how upset Reno had seemed when he'd come and taken his mother away in the first place. "Come on, you might as well tell me, since I'm going to find out anyway."

"Mini Vinny, I don't wanna get into it." Reno didn't feel that it was his place to tell Aaron what had happened to his father.

"Come on." Aaron scooted over closer to him on the couch. "Just tell me."

Reno turned and faced the boy square on. "Uh, damn it, look, your dad sorta got into a fight and got hurt."

Aaron's eyes went wide. "What?"

"Yeah, the doctor's working on him right now. He'll be okay." Reno forced a smile.

It didn't take long for Aaron to piece things together. He knew that Cid was here and instantly he realized that if his father was going to get into a fight with anyone, that it would be the pilot. "It was Cid, wasn't it!"

"Now look kid," Reno raised his hands, trying to calm the boy, "I don't think they were fighting on purpose. See, Cid's got something inside of him like you and Vinny."

Aaron had picked this up before from listening in on the conversations of the adults. "Reno…how bad is my dad hurt?"

Reno felt his stomach knot. Getting into this with Aaron was the last thing on his list of priorities. "He's going to be fine."

"How bad?" Aaron could see that it wasn't that simple.

"Look, when your mom comes back, I'm sure she'll take you to see him, okay?" Reno leaned back, hoping that Aaron would let it go.

"Fucking Cid…" the boy growled between clenched teeth.

The ASRIO leader's eye went wide and he turned to toward Aaron. "What did you just say?"

"You heard me." Aaron folded his arms across his chest and sank back into the couch.

"I'm not gonna tell your mom that you said that, but don't do it again," Reno reprimanded.

Aaron rolled his eyes and glared over at Reno. "You're one to be getting on me for my language."

The boy had him there and Reno smiled. "Yeah, I know. But like I said, let's just wait 'til your mom gets back and then we'll go see Vinny, okay?"

"Fine." Aaron picked up his video game and resumed playing. He was getting sick of the adults. Very sick of them.


	38. Chapter 38

Sorry there was a longer than usual gap in updates on this story. I was a little mentally tired and it was just easier to work on the other…you know, no plot to think up there ; )

In any event, we're on the downhill side of this thing...yay.

Chapter 38

Several more hours went by and there was no news passed from the surgery suite to Tifa. She was more than a little concerned, not understanding what could be taking so long. After all, Angel had told her that Vincent's neck and arm simply needed to be closed up and then that would be it.

In that time, Tifa had returned once to go and nurse Charlotte, finding both Aaron and Reno asleep on her couch. She was thankful for this, not wishing yet to have to explain to her son what was taking place. With the baby fed and again placed sleeping in the nest of pillows on the bed, Tifa had gone back to the infirmary.

Cid had fallen asleep after a while, and his father and brother had both remained there with Tifa. She'd felt out of place as Cid Sr. and Brad occasionally discussed things in hushed tones. Tifa was learning to appreciate that Cid's family's skeletons seemed to be potentially just as involved as Vincent's. She did not yet know that their families were all one in the same.

Finally, the doors to the surgery suite opened, and Quigley, looking tired and stressed, hurried out. He attempted to get out of the infirmary, but Tifa got up and intercepted him before the researcher got the chance.

"Quig, what's going on?" she asked, taking a hold of his sleeve.

The color literally drained from his face. "They're done with him. He'll be out in a little bit."

Tifa knew that something was up-- something Quigley didn't want to tell her about. "Quig..?"

He shook his head and pulled his arm out of her grip. If nothing else, he still hadn't recovered from Aaron's attack and Tifa's attempt to restrain him hurt. "He's fine, Tifa. I need to go and check on some stuff."

Resigning to the fact that he wasn't going to tell her a damn thing, Tifa just watched him retreat. The easy going and usually good-natured Quigley that she'd become to know over the years seemed…absent.

Tifa trudged back over to the seat she'd been sitting in and took it back up again. She gazed over at where Cid Sr. and Brad were at the injured man's bedside and slowly moved her stare between them, kicking herself inwardly for never having realized on her own that Cid and Brad were related. Yes, their coloring was different-- Cid, the blue-eyed, well, formerly blue-eyed blond, and Brad dark haired and with matching eyes-- but other things about them were more than similar. They were built the same, with the same shape to their faces. Cid was slightly more hawk nosed than Brad, making Tifa think that Brad must have some resemblance to his mother. Cid on the other hand was no more than a carbon copy of his father. Tifa found herself wondering what Cid's mother had looked like, since she'd apparently passed nothing onto her son.

Her contemplation was interrupted when the surgery doors opened once more and Janice emerged, some of her assistants pushing Vincent's bed along behind her. Tifa instantly shot to her feet and tried to go to Vincent's side as his bed was put in its place, but Janice stopped her, placing her hands upon Tifa's shoulders.

Tifa looked into the doctor's eyes. "I want to see him!"

"I need to tell you--" Dr. Arlin found herself cut off.

"I want to see him and I'm going to see him now!" Tifa pushed the doctor's hands from her and she ran over to Vincent's bedside. She looked down upon him, seeing that the side of his neck was covered with a bandage. Out of her curiosity, she grabbed the sheet that covered his body and started to lift it, wanting to see what had been done with his left arm.

Tifa's eyes went wide and she stopped breathing. The sheet fell from her hand, covering Vincent again. Her entire body began to shake and she slowly turned around, to face Janice, who now had Angel standing beside her. There was a tightness in Tifa's throat and tears in her eyes by the time she locked gazes with Dr. Arlin. "Wh…what in the hell did you do?"

"It's just temporary. It's going to take about four months for a new arm to be cloned for him, Tifa. This way, he'll at least have use--" Once more, Janice wasn't allowed to finish.

"Didn't you stop to think for a fucking minute what in the hell he's going to think when he wakes up and sees that God forsaken thing attached to him?" Tifa motioned back toward her husband, who was still mercifully asleep. When she'd looked under the sheet, she'd seen that the cybernetic left arm from his artificial body he'd possessed seven years ago had been installed upon what was left of his damaged arm. "What were you thinking? Why in the hell did you even have that thing still?"

"So you think he'd prefer to be without an arm completely for four months rather than at least have that?" Janice crossed her arms over her chest. "I think you'd be grateful that we could help him out like this and that you'd be glad that Quigley had kept the components of Vincent's old body on hand!"

Tifa's jaw just dropped. She was at a complete loss for what to say. After going back to Vincent's bedside, she reached down and picked up his right hand, then letting the tears come freely.

Angel came up behind her and placed her hand upon Tifa's shoulder. "He's going to be all right, and like Janice said, in four months, we'll be able to give him back the real thing."

Tifa shook her head and wiped her eyes with her free hand. "He hated it…having parts to him that weren't real… I felt what it was like to have that thing hooked up to my own body after his surgery, Angel. You guys don't have any idea…"

"It's the best we could do for now." Angel's voice was quiet.

"And what about the anti-Chaos drug?" Tifa asked.

Janice heard this and came closer. "We'll wait until morning, when his wounds have healed."

Tifa was thankful for this. At least his injuries would be able to repair themselves. "Okay."

"I'm sorry that this happened, Tifa. But if he'd stayed here and undergone his Chaos treatment to completion like he was supposed to, this could have been avoided." Dr. Arlin moved to the opposite side of the bed from Tifa, her anger at Vincent for his past actions clear.

"Cid's demon attacked _him_!" Tifa knit her brow and glared up at the doctor. "If it wasn't for Chaos, who knows how things would have turned out."

"You _think_ Cid's demon attacked him. No one saw what really took place and neither Vincent nor Cid is in the position to tell us right now," Janice scoffed back.

Tifa was struck by the absolute animosity coming from Dr. Arlin and wondered if it had just been because of her initial outburst or if it went further than that. "Janice? Are you just mad at me or are you pissed at Vincent?"

The memory of opening the toxicology report that stated that Vincent had overdosed and killed Spencer surfaced. "Vincent."

"Why?" Tifa locked gazes with the other woman.

"I know he was on the ferium and being manipulated by Shinra, but he still did some horrible things, Tifa." Janice pushed her glasses up higher.

From over near Cid's bed, came Brad's voice. "Tifa, some of us just…aren't too sure."

She looked over her shoulder at the chopper pilot. The realization that there were apparently several people in the base that held Vincent's drug induced actions against him drilled into her. "You guys think..?"

"I'm not saying we think anything in particular, but Tifa, look at all that happened. You know, it's just all been…" Brad's voice trailed off and he shrugged, feeling like he'd overstepped his boundaries.

"Okay." Tifa turned her eyes back to her still sleeping husband. She possessed no question as to what was in Vincent's heart. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, Tifa knew that it had all come out of the ferium. Besides, if anyone had a reason to doubt Vincent, then that would be Reno, and he at least seemed fine with everything. "That's okay."

Everyone fell silent as they saw the pain their lack of faith in Vincent caused her.

Porter chose that moment to walk in, realizing that he'd stumbled in on an awkward situation. He approached Tifa's side and offered her a weak smile. "Hey, how is everything?"

She shook her head, looking down at Vincent again. "Nothing…other than some people thinking that my husband is some deranged psychopath."

Porter frowned. "What?"

Tifa glanced up at Janice who was walking away. "Apparently, Janice and Brad believe what Vincent did while on the ferium wasn't necessarily because _of_ the ferium."

Porter bit his bottom lip upon hearing this pained statement from Tifa. He was one of those guilty of holding such reservations. "Oh…"

Hearing the tone of his voice, told Tifa all that she needed to know. "You too, huh?"

The former Turk shoved his hands into his pockets and dropped his gaze to the floor. "I…I do or at least I did, but Reno seems so damned sure about him…"

"It's fine." Tifa bent down and kissed Vincent's lips gently. "We'll go home as soon as he's better and then you won't have to worry about it anymore. Vincent wouldn't want to be somewhere that everyone doubted or hated him."

"No one hates him, Tifa." Angel said, stepping between Porter and her. "It's just that a lot happened and whereas you and I honestly know Vincent, there are others who will just have to come around in their own time about it."

"It doesn't matter." Tifa straightened back up, feeling new tears in her eyes. "Like I said, once he's better, we can go home. We won't bother anyone anymore."

A strained and pained voice managed to make itself heard. "Tiff…you and Sue can't go…I still need you guys."

Tifa spun around to see that Cid had awoken, and was looking over at her. She let go of Vincent's hand and went over to the pilot's side. Offering him a smile, Tifa reached out and touched the side of his face. She hadn't before been able to really appreciate the new look of his eyes, and it sent a chill down her spine. "Cid, are you okay?"

He was shaking a little and his color was terrible. His gold eyes possessed no shine to them, and looked more tired than humanly possible. "It fuckin' hurts."

"Just try and stay still. Dr. Arlin will give you more for the pain if you need it," Tifa said, trying to comfort him.

"What in the hell did they do to me?" Cid asked, closing his eyes as the misery of his condition got the better of him.

Angel had followed Tifa over and went to the other side of his bed. "We pulled the three bullets out of you that Reno fired. Two of them luckily didn't really do all that much damage, but the third hit your spleen and we had to remove it."

Cid, not being particularly savvy in the ways of anatomy or medicine, opened his eyes and looked over at Angel. "I'm hopin' that's not something I needed."

"You'll be completely fine without it," Angel replied quietly.

The elder Highwind got up from where he was sitting and stretched. He stood next to Tifa and gazed down at his son. "You gonna be all right, Junior?"

"Sure." Cid wasn't really feeling like he was at the moment, but he was going to put up the best front he could for his old man.

"Okay." Cid Sr. reached down and picked up one of his son's hands. "Look, I hate to do this, but it's pretty fuckin' late and I'm older than hell. I need to go get somethin' to eat and then go to bed."

Cid nodded as best he could the way he was laying. "You go do that."

"Yeah, I better head home, too." Brad came to the other side of his bed. "I'll take you to go get some dinner, Dad."

The old man looked at his other son. "I'd appreciate that, Bradley."

Cid couldn't help but smile at the situation. "Go on, get."

Having his permission, the chopper pilot and his father said goodbye and then left the infirmary.

"Cid, are you okay if I go back over to Vincent? I want to be beside him when he wakes up," Tifa said quietly.

He forced a smile for her. "Yeah."

"Thanks." She bent and gave him a quick kiss before going back to Vincent's bedside.

Cid watched her walk away, wishing that Jin could be here. He wondered what she was doing by now, and if she was on her way after hopefully finding his note. Dr. Arlin soon came to his side, however, and injected more pain medication into his I.V. line, driving him back into unconsciousness.

Porter was still at Vincent's bedside. He looked at Tifa briefly. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

Tifa shook her head while taking Vincent's right hand back up in her own. "I don't think so. I guess you could go by and make sure that Aaron, Charlotte, and Reno are behaving."

Porter smiled. "Well, the first two probably are."

Tifa couldn't help it and she laughed. "Right."

"I'll go check on them then." Porter placed his hand upon her shoulder. "Everything's going to be all right."

Tifa just nodded and closed her eyes.

Not knowing what else to do, Porter slipped from the infirmary and made his way to Tifa and Vincent's room. When he got there, he found that the door was unlocked. He stepped inside, finding the baby sleeping on the bed, and Aaron and Reno still passed out on the couch. Quietly, he went forward and then reached out and shook his boss gently.

Reno was a little startled, and looked up at the man before him. He glanced to the side, seeing Aaron sleeping. Without disturbing the boy, Reno managed to get up and he went with Porter over toward the corner. "What's up?"

Porter shrugged. "They got the two of them patched up, I guess. Mr. Highwind is going to be all right, and so is Vincent."

"Good deal." Reno thought for a moment. "And what about drugging them so that they don't pull anymore shit?"

"Quigley told me that they intend to keep the two of them pretty well sedated between now and morning. That should give them the time they need to repair their wounds. Once that's done, we're injecting them with the drugs Quigley has made up." Porter dropped his gaze to the floor, thinking about how upset the researcher had been.

Reno's eye widened. "So he's got the one for Cid made up?"

"It'll be done by morning, and Vincent's is finished."

"Good fuckin' job." Reno couldn't help but smile. The speed at which Quigley and Porter could get things done was, at times, mind-boggling. "That's great."

"Yeah, the thing is, with as fast as that thing developed within Mr. Highwind, he's going to have to get injections of that stuff on a daily basis," Porter said, some regret in his voice. "I mean, we may be able to treat Aaron and Vincent with a couple of doses and then cut them loose for a few years, but Cid is a whole other story."

"Oh…" Reno shoved his hands into his pockets. "He's not going to be okay with that."

"I know." The former Turk shrugged. "But it's the best we can do under the circumstances."

"Then we have to get the real cure from Shinra and we have to do it fast."

Porter fell silent. Like Reno, he wasn't big on the prospects of yet another mission so soon. Things just seemed too disorganized at the moment for any such thing to work right.

"I know what you're thinking, and you're right." Reno locked gazes with his new second in command. "It has to be done, though."

"Yeah, that's what I'm figuring." Porter sighed.

"We're going to have to go in to the Junon facility, get into the computer and find the real formula, download it, and bail." Reno shifted where he stood, trying to come up with ideas.

"Oh fuck," Porter groaned, closing his eyes.

"What?"

He looked at his boss. "You do know what that means, right?"

Reno didn't. "What?"

"We're…we're going to have to send Quigley in with the mission team. He'll be the only one able to find that formula and know if it's the right thing or not." Porter dreaded sending his best friend on such a quest. Quigley was not mission material.

"Oh…" Reno bit his bottom lip, knowing that Porter was right. "That's not cool."

"No, and he's going to freak out about it when we tell him."

"Yeah, especially after seeing what happened to Spencer…shit." Reno closed his eye and sighed, his shoulders slumping. "Poor fuckin' Spencer."

Porter had a question that he figured he needed to get out once and for all. He gestured for Reno to follow him and they slipped from the room and into the corridor. In the chance that Aaron awoke, Porter didn't want this conversation taking place around the boy.

Once in the hall, Porter turned to his boss again. "Reno, I'm guessing that you had Janice do some kind of post mortem study on Spencer, correct?"

He already knew where this was going. "Yeah."

"Was it really the ferium withdrawal that killed him?" Porter asked flatly.

Reno tensed his jaw, immediately regretting doing so, as it shot a pain through his head. Janice and he had discussed the tox report and Reno knew full well that Vincent had killed the other man. He didn't want to tell Porter the truth.

By the way Reno suddenly became uncomfortable, Porter knew the answer. "What did Vincent do to kill him?"

Reno looked away. Somehow, by relaying this information, he felt that he was betraying his father-in-law. "O.D."

"So he gave Spencer more ferium?"

"Yeah, when he was alone with him in the infirmary." Reno was ashamed of himself for talking.

"The question was raised tonight over whether Vincent did all of that because of his own addiction to ferium or if…" Porter's voice failed him.

Of this, Reno had no doubt. "Look, I'm only going to say this one more time. Vinny's a good guy and he would never do any of that without being manipulated into doing so."

"But he was a fucking Turk, Reno! He used to kill for a living." Porter's reservations about the situation refused to vanish so easily.

Reno, against his better judgement, backhanded Porter across the face. Porter reeled back from the blow, covering his cheek with his hand and then turning back to Reno. "What the fuck was that?"

Reno pointed an accusatory finger at his friend. "Yeah, he was a fuckin' Turk, just like the rest of us, Port. Don't you ever forget that and don't you _ever_ doubt Vinny!"

Porter, never having been thusly bitch slapped wasn't really sure how to react. He straightened back up and let his hand fall away from his face, the sting still lingering in his cheek. "I'm sorry…"

"You better be. And if I hear anyone else daring to say shit about how they think Vinny did any of that because he _wanted_ to, they'll find their asses out on the street, you got me?" Reno was angrier in that moment than he could remember being.

From the way things had been when he'd gone to the infirmary earlier, Porter knew he wasn't alone in his questioning of Vincent's motivations. "Then you need to talk to Janice and Brad about things."

"God damn it!" Reno threw his hands up in the air. "He shot me in the fuckin' face and I know that Vinny's okay! I would think that if I was all right with the situation, that everyone else would be able to get over it!"

"I'm sorry," Porter restated, his words feeling pathetically inadequate.

"Just don't do it again." Reno crossed his arms over his chest. "I'll talk with the others in the morning. And don't you dare tell Quigley that Vincent killed his brother, or there will be hell to pay. I don't need him doubting Vincent, too."

Porter nodded submissively. He had never been honestly reprimanded by Reno before, and didn't like it. All of the verbal abuse he'd suffered while working for Hojo resurfaced and his entire demeanor changed. He dropped his gaze to the floor and slouched.

Reno saw this change in him and had to ask. "Port, are you okay?"

He sighed heavily and turned, walking away. Porter wanted nothing more than to go and be with Rayna. "No… I'll see you later."

Now feeling badly for having blown up at Porter, Reno shuffled back into Tifa and Vincent's room to continue his baby sitting assignment. He made his way back to the couch and sat next to the sleeping boy. Reno reached into his back pocket and pulled out his flask, downing its remaining warm contents in a few swallows. He let the burn of the alcohol wash over him and then tucked the flask back away. Reno turned his head to look over at Aaron, seeing that the boy's eyes were open. He offered the kid a faint smile.

"You too?" Aaron asked lazily.

"Huh?"

Aaron sat up. "You drink, too, like my dad."

"Just a little. Just when people piss me off." Reno felt bad at having been seen giving into his vice.

"You're always pissed off."

"Yeah, I know." Reno hung his head.

----------------------------------------

Tifa had pulled a chair over so that she could sit at Vincent's side and keep a hold of his right hand. Eventually, he stirred and she stood up, hoping that he would open his eyes. "Vincent?"

He groaned and moved slightly.

Tifa bent forward and placed a hand against his cheek. "Vincent?"

"Tifa…" he whispered back, not opening his eyes.

"Can you look at me?" she asked.

"I won't."

"What?" Tifa was confused by his answer.

"I'm not opening my eyes. I can feel it, Tifa. I know what they did and I don't want to see it." Vincent's mouth pulled down into a painful frown.

"Oh…" She moved her hand to stroke his hair. "It's just temporary, Vincent. They said that they can give you back a real one in a few months. They can clone one."

"No." A tear made its way from the corner of his eye.

"No?"

"Tifa…I have a brand new baby at home. If they try and give me a new arm, that means that it will be completely useless for a few months while the nerve grafts take hold. I can't be…crippled like that when I've got a baby to help you take care of. I have to keep what they've given me." Vincent was still not looking.

"Vincent, don't worry about helping me at home. If getting your arm taken care of is what it's going to take to make you feel good about yourself and make you happy, then we're doing it." Tifa wasn't going to let him sacrifice his happiness because of some sense of duty to her. She owed him that much and a whole lot more.

"No."

She sighed and sat on the edge of his bed. "Vincent…"

He dared to open his eyes a little and moved to look at her. "No. No more surgery, all right? What are the chances of me having that arm ripped off twice in my life?"

Tifa didn't quite follow. "I don't know."

"Pretty small, don't you think?"

She nodded.

"I'd say that was some sort of sign from fate that maybe I'm not supposed to have it." Vincent gave some pathetic excuse for a smile.

Tifa shook her head and wiped the tear away from his face. "Vincent, come on. I don't want you to be miserable if they can fix it."

"I thought before that getting back my normal body would solve all of my problems and let me be happy, Tifa. It didn't work though, did it?" He looked away from her.

"Things got rough, but having your body back was so important to you…"

"It was, but like I said, I ended up unhappy and miserable anyway. So, getting this arm taken care of ultimately isn't going to make that much difference. What I need to be happy has nothing to do with my body. I understand that now." Vincent's eyes narrowed.

"What do you need to be happy, then?" Tifa asked, hearing Janice coming up behind her.

Vincent closed his eyes as he heard the doctor's approach, fearing what would be done to him next.

Janice, without a word, picked up Vincent's I.V. line and injected something into it before walking away.

Tifa waited for the doctor to be out of earshot, then she asked again. "Vincent, what do you need to be happy?"

He opened his eyes and attempted to answer, but the bolus of pain medication he'd just been given caused him to slip from consciousness, without giving Tifa the answer that she so desperately sought.

Seeing that she'd lost him again, Tifa hung her head and sighed. Resolving that he'd be asleep for a while, she reluctantly got up from the bed and walked out of the infirmary, heading back toward her room.

When she got there, she found Aaron and Reno sitting on the couch, talking quietly. Reno looked when she entered and he reached over, patting Aaron on the head before getting up. He walked over to Tifa and she could immediately see that Reno's eye was red, indicating that he'd been upset and possibly crying.

"Reno? Is something wrong?" Tifa asked, placing her hand upon his shoulder.

"Come here." Reno went over to the door and opened it, taking her out into the corridor. He shut the door behind them and then turned to her. "Mini Vinny's been talking to me for a while, and uh, he's basically clued me in on everything that's been happening at home between Vinny and you. Now, I had some of the story, but he's given the rest of it to me and… Basically, Tifa, he's scared."

"Scared of what?" Tifa cocked her head to the side.

"Despite what both you and Vincent have promised him, I guess he's freaked out that things are going to go back to the way they were. Tifa, the things he's said tonight… damn it, I'm really worried about him. I think he's been hiding his feelings for a long time and I'm not really sure that you and Vinny know what's really going on inside of him." Reno stared down at his shoes, knowing full well that Aaron had just opened up to him in a way that generally, only Jaras was privileged.

Tifa didn't quite know what to say in response to this. "Well I…"

"He told me that he's been thinking for a while about running away and going to Mideel." Reno looked at her again.

"To be with his brother?"

"Yeah." Reno shrugged. "He told me that he'd rather you and Vinny be together for a while to see if you really are going to change the way things have been without him there, so that if you start fighting, he doesn't have to see it. Tifa, Aaron wants to go live with Jaras for a while, and really, I think you and Vinny have enough shit to muddle through that it might actually be a good idea."

Tifa felt like the wind had been knocked out of her and she leaned against the wall. The thought that her son was upset enough to actually want to leave was overwhelming. Aaron had been so happy when Vincent had come home that she thought things were going to be all right. The boy still had doubts, though, and quite frankly, after all she'd put him through, she couldn't honestly blame him.

Reno saw the misery and guilt wash over Tifa and he went forward and took her into his arms. "Look, at least he admitted to someone how he was feeling, Tifa. If Jaras can watch him for a while, that will give you and Vincent some room to speak freely. Plus, it will give the two of you a chance to focus on Charlotte, too. Vinny's already missed too much of her life."

Tifa hated to admit it, but Reno was absolutely right. She and Vincent could use some time alone to deal with things, and if they were going to just break down fighting, Aaron needed to be spared that, too. "Okay."

"Look, we can call Jaras and Jeanine in the morning and see if they're game to watch him for a while. If they can, I can have Brad take him down there." Reno offered her a smile and backed out of her embrace.

"Okay." Tifa looked at the ground. "That sound's good. Reno?"

He just looked at her expectantly.

"Thanks for talking to him and watching them tonight." Tifa smiled up at him.

He raised his hands and looked away shyly. "No problem, I was glad to do it. Besides, I got that free show and all."

"Free show?" Tifa cocked an eyebrow at him, not understanding.

"Yeah, you know, when you came by earlier and nursed Charlotte right in front of me. That was cool." Reno smirked.

"Reno!" Tifa stepped forward and shoved him for all she was worth, sending him back against the other wall of the corridor. "I thought you were asleep!"

"Hey! I'm not sayin' I got off on it or anything! It was just a beautiful experience to see a mother feed her baby, that's all! I swear!" Reno honestly looked sincere.

"Oh right! I think I know you better than that!" Tifa couldn't help but doubt his claim.

"I swear to God, that's the truth! Angel…Angel never let me watch." Reno flushed red.

"Because she knows what kind of pervert you are, Reno!" Despite it all, Tifa smiled, finding Reno just too ridiculous.

"No one ever believes me." Reno sulked and started to walk away. "I'm heading to bed. Angel and me are staying in the base tonight, in case anyone else decides to throw any more temper tantrums. I'll see ya in the morning, Tifa."

She shook her head, laughing to herself. "Good night, Reno."

With that, Tifa went inside, seeing that Aaron had fallen asleep on the couch. She took a blanket from the closet and placed it over him before going and taking care of Charlotte and going to bed.


	39. Chapter 39

Okay, I fixed my MySpace account, I really should come up as Sipesh now. Be my friend! I need constant social validation! Yeah…

Oh, and sorry, this is another short one. I was busy getting a new dog this weekend! YAY!

I still miss Porter : (

Chapter 39

Angel made her way to the room that she and Reno had once shared in the base. She'd called Dana's friend's family to ask if her daughter could spend the night and was told yes. With her child thusly cared for, she opened the door to the room and entered.

Reno was sitting waiting for her on the bed. He'd been thoughtful enough to go and get something for her to eat, and had her meal waiting for her in styrofoam containers upon the bed. "Hey, Babe."

Angel offered him a pathetic smile and kicked off her shoes before going over and sitting on the bed. Having helped Dr. Arlin for the last several hours in surgery, she was exhausted and not feeling that well. "Thanks for getting me some food."

"No problem. I figured you'd be pretty starved." Reno climbed over and knelt behind her upon the bed. He placed his hands upon Angel's back and started to massage her.

Angel sighed as she reached over and picked up one of the food containers, opening it. He'd gotten her fettuccini. "This looks good."

"Yeah, you were sayin' before that you wanted that tonight. Of course, that was before the shit hit the fan." Reno continued to work her back carefully.

Although what he was doing felt good, Angel looked back over her shoulder at him. She figured he was only doing so as some kind of prelude to sex, and she felt in no way up to the act. "Reno, hun, I really don't feel like getting frisky tonight."

"I figured, Babe. I'm not trying to start anything, I just remembered how much you said your back hurt you all the time when you were pregnant with Dana, that's all." He let his hands drop away from her.

Angel offered him a smile. "I know you better than that, Reno."

Reno moved and sat beside her. "I'm being honest, Babe. I sure as hell don't feel much like doin' it tonight myself."

Now, Angel was just worried. Reno never said such things. "What's wrong?"

"All of this." He hung his head. "I don't know what I'm supposed to do. Things were going along great, I thought everything was super, and then all of this. I was talking about how we have to go into the Junon lab and get the real cancer cure, since it can also be used to fix Vinny, Aaron, and Cid. Porter told me that he thinks we'll have to send Quigley in with the team since he'd be the only one who'd know what in the fuck we're looking for."

"Oh, I guess he would have to go." Angel picked up a plastic fork and started eating.

"Yeah." Reno shrugged. "And then…Porter sorta called into question Vinny's…damn it, what's that word that means what side you're playing for?"

Angel smiled and glanced at him. "Allegiance?"

"Oh, that's a better word that the one I was thinkin' of. But yeah, he called into question Vinny's allegiance." Reno looked ashamed and turned to face his wife. "I got really pissed at that and I, uh, kinda smacked him."

She nearly choked on her mouthful. "You _smacked_ Porter?"

Reno made a gesture of the action with his right hand. "Yeah, popped him a good one. I just couldn't help myself. I'm getting sick of people having doubts about him."

"I know, Brad and Janice said some things in the infirmary, too." Angel shook her head and then reached over opening the other container, seeing that it held a few pieces of garlic bread. She picked two of them up and held one over to Reno.

Reno grabbed the bread and took a bite. "Yeah, Porter clued me in about those two thinking that Vinny might be dangerous, too. I'm going to talk to the both of them in the morning."

"Just be careful about how you come off to Janice, all right?" She locked gazes with him. "She's been in a really bad mood lately, and I don't want us to be out our doctor."

"Janice wouldn't quit. You know that."

Angel kept looking at him. "Reno, I don't know. She's been unhappy about something for a long time. Maybe it's something in her personal life that she's bringing here with her, but something is definitely wrong with the woman."

As Reno thought about it, he realized that Janice had been a little bitchier than usual lately. "Okay, I'll be nice about it. It just really irks me that people can think that Vinny did things because he wanted to. I don't like him being doubted, and I know he wouldn't be all that thrilled about it if he knew, either."

"I know." Angel offered him a smile before turning her attention back to her dinner again. She thought for a moment about telling him how Tifa came unglued after seeing that Vincent had been given a cybernetic arm, but opted not to. Reno was burdened enough with things, and didn't need any more crap dished to him. "Reno?"

He looked over at her. "Yeah?"

Angel reached over and placed a hand on the side of his face. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Babe." Reno took her hand and covered it with his own, then pulling it toward his lips and placing a kiss upon it.

Suddenly, Angel's resolve to not partake in a physical escapade with her husband withered. She quickly finished her dinner and then took the empty boxes over to the trash. With them thrown away, she looked over her shoulder. "I think a long, hot shower would be great before bed, don't you?"

Reno perked to attention. "You inviting me?"

She offered him a wink and then disappeared into the bathroom. Reno stood up from the bed and stripped hastily before following her. She had the water running and was getting undressed by the time he got into the bathroom.

Reno leaned back against the door after closing it, watching her. "Hey, Babe."

She looked over her shoulder at him as her last article of clothing hit the floor. "Hey yourself."

Reno went over and opened the shower door, seeing that the water was now running warm enough. He stepped inside and Angel followed him. Reno immediately took her into his arms and kissed her. They would forget their problems, if just for a while. Without having to worry about Dana walking in on them or listening, they made love with abandon.

-----------------------------------

Cid awoke at around four in the morning, or at least that's what the clock on the wall in the infirmary said. The pain he was in was still intense, but it was better than before. His inner demon was allowing his body to begin healing. His eyes searched through the dimly lit room, until they fell upon the only other person present. "Hey, Sue?"

Vincent was out, and didn't respond.

Cid huffed to himself, wanting desperately to speak with his friend. He called out again, just a little louder. "Sue?"

Vincent moved slightly, but didn't awake.

Now Cid was just frustrated. He turned his head, spotting a small plastic bowl sitting on his bedside table. In a last ditch effort to get Vincent to rouse, he reached over, picked up the bowl, and then hurled it across the room.

It hit Vincent square in the head and his eyes flew open. His drug-clouded mind didn't fire up right away. "Hey…what?"

"You up?" Cid asked, sounding innocent enough.

Vincent brought up his right hand and rubbed the side of his head, frowning. "Did…did you just throw something at me?"

Cid snickered to himself, regretting it instantly as it hurt to laugh. "Naw."

Vincent realized that there was a bowl sitting on his pillow next to his head. He grabbed it and held it up. "You threw this at me, didn't you?"

Again, Cid laughed, although it hurt terribly.

Vincent tossed the bowl away, letting it hit the floor. "Fuck you, Cid."

"Hey, I just wanted to talk to you." He bunched up his pillow behind his neck so that he could see Vincent easier.

"Cid…I'm tired and by all accounts, you should be, too." Vincent managed to roll onto his right side, not minding too much the pain in his neck and left arm as he did so.

"I am, but I wanted to see how much you remembered, and I needed to know if you're okay." Cid's voice reflected his sincerity.

"I'll be fine, Cid. Go to sleep." Vincent honestly wasn't in the mood to get into any sort of discussion with the pilot.

Cid carried on as though Vincent did want to talk. "I don't remember anything after becoming whatever in the hell it was I turned into. What did I do to you?"

He sighed heavily. "A cat."

"What?" Cid didn't follow.

Vincent raised his head for a moment and looked over at him. "A cat, a big damned cat, with wings. That's what you turned into."

"Really?" Cid scowled. "I hate cats."

"I know." Vincent let his head hit the pillow once more. "Karma's a bitch."

Cid pondered what he must have looked like, but couldn't quite get his mind around it. "What did I do to you? I hurt you, right?"

Vincent closed his eyes and clenched his teeth as he managed to pull his left arm out from beneath the covers and he raised it up, so that Cid could see. "You tore off my arm. Now I've got one of these things again, thank you very much."

Cid literally felt nauseous. "Oh fuck, Sue… I'm sorry!"

Vincent carefully lowered his arm back to his side. "You didn't do it on purpose."

Vincent heard a loud groan and had to look. He saw that Cid had somehow managed to push himself up into a sitting position, and had his face covered with his hands. When he saw the pilot's entire body shake, Vincent realized that Cid was crying. Not knowing what else to do, Vincent struggled and sat up, facing his friend. "Cid?"

"I'm so fuckin' sorry…" Cid was ashamed at himself not only for what he'd done to Vincent, but for his display of emotion in front of the other man. "God damn it, Sunshine…"

"Cid, it's all right. I know it wasn't your fault. Trust me, I understand and it's all right. After you took my arm, I let Chaos come out and fight you, to keep you in the base so you wouldn't escape." Vincent regretted the fact that he was hooked up to monitors and fluids, otherwise he would have gone to Cid's side.

Cid let his hands fall away from his face. "You kept me here after I ripped your damn arm off?"

"Of course. Having you running around out in the open was the last thing we needed." Vincent reached up with his right hand and tore away the bandage on his neck, knowing that it would be healed enough by now to let him get away from doing so.

The fact that Vincent still gave attention to what was best for him after he'd taken his arm got Cid's notice. "Sue?"

"Cid, really, I just want to sleep."

"Why do you keep helpin' me? I mean, I keep fuckin' up your life and still you do things for me. Why?" Cid figured if their roles were reversed, he would have just killed the guy and gotten it over with.

Vincent closed his eyes and hung his head. "Because, Cid, that's what friends do. We went over this crap in the cave."

"You're too damn forgiving," Cid said quietly.

Vincent cocked an eyebrow. "Cid, if you had done true evil, I can promise you that I wouldn't be willing to forgive. Having seen true evil in the actions of Hojo, I know the difference. To intentionally hurt me was not what you set out to do, either with this attack, or with what transpired between Tifa and yourself. I forgive, because I know what it's like to be unforgivable. You've not earned that.

Cid dried his eyes and looked over at Vincent. "You're one helluva guy, you know that?"

"Well thank you for finally acknowledging the fact that I'm a male." Vincent moved to lie down again. "Let's go to sleep now, okay?"

"All right." Cid carefully lowered himself back down. "Goodnight, Sue."

"Goodnight, you amazing pain in the ass." Vincent closed his eyes and pulled the sheets around him tightly. Within minutes, he was asleep again.

-----------------------------------

Quigley had remained in the lab since helping install the cybernetic arm onto Vincent. He'd felt bad in doing so, not only for the fact that he knew that Vincent would hate it, but because he personally took the blame for what had happened with Cid in the first place, causing all of this to occur.

He'd been sitting in front of the compounding machine for hours, more or less mentally beating himself up when he felt a hand upon his shoulder, startling him out of his state. Quigley looked back, seeing Porter standing behind him. "Oh, hey Port."

"Quig." Porter pulled up a chair next to his friend's. He'd been with Rayna in their room for a while, but had decided to check on Quigley when he hadn't been able to fall asleep. "Aren't you going to go to bed at some point tonight?"

Quigley sat back and ran his hands down his face. "I couldn't sleep right now if I wanted to. Amy came by a while ago to try and get me to leave, but until this drug for Cid is made up…I'm not going to be able to relax."

Porter moved his seat closer to the researcher's and placed his hand upon Quigley's knee. "Quig, don't do this to yourself. You're going to get sick."

"Port, don't you get it? All of this is happening because I screwed up! I got cocky, thinking that everything was going great, forgetting that life likes to bite me in the ass whenever it gets the chance." Quigley looked away from Porter. "I lost my brother, I turned Cid into some sort of monster, and now I've cost Vincent his arm. I mean, God damn."

Realizing that there was little he could do to alleviate his companion's depression, Porter wondered about warning Quigley about any upcoming mission. "Quig, what if I told you that you might just end up being the most important asset ASRIO has for what we have to do next?"

Quigley turned his gaze back to the other man. "How's that?"

"Remember how the computer says that Shinra actually does have the formula for the cancer cure and how it can also be used to cure what's been done to Cid?" Porter asked.

"Yeah, of course, and we decided that we need to get our hands on that as soon as possible." Quigley narrowed his eyes.

"Right." Porter leaned a little closer to him. "We're going to have to send a team into the Shinra lab to get it, and Quig, we need you to go with them."

His eyes went wide. "Me? Go in on a mission?"

"You're the only one who'll know how to get it out of the computer, and you'd be the only one who'd know what in the hell we're looking for anyway." Porter's sincerity was obvious from his tone.

Quigley got up and walked a few steps away. The thought of going into a lab on a mission team was absolutely terrifying. Although the danger of doing so had appealed to his little brother, Quigley hadn't shared that quality with Spencer. Still, he knew he couldn't refuse. He was the one best qualified to look up and secure the formula, and in a way, it might somehow make up for what he felt he'd done wrong.

Resolving that he would go without any argument, Quigley turned back to Porter. "Okay, when do we go?"

Porter stood up from his seat and went to Quigley's side. "I thought…"

"You thought I'd try and get out of it?" Quigley locked into his gaze. "You thought I'd be too spineless to ever set foot back into a Shinra lab again after the shit I saw Hojo pull? That's it, isn't it?"

Porter smiled despite himself. "Well, sort of."

Quigley's mouth pulled down and he shook his head. "Well, that isn't how it is. I'm going. I'm going and I will get that damned cure and take care of all of this."

He knew better than to say anything in response. Porter had never seen Quigley like he was right now, and on some level, he was scared. All he could do was step closer to the researcher, place a hand upon his shoulder for a moment, offer him a smile, and then walk from the room. Before he got to the door, though, he hesitated and looked back. "Quig?"

He brought his bloodshot eyes up to meet his friend's. "Yeah?"

Porter looked down at the floor, considering the decision he was about to make, before steeling his resolve. He then met Quigley's gaze. "If you're going into that lab on the mission, then I'm going with you. I'll take care of you."

Quigley's first instinct to this was to argue, since Porter hadn't been in action since his Turk days, and then only on a limited basis. Not to mention the fact that Porter had never completely recovered from the gunshot wound he'd sustained seven years ago. Still, something about having Porter with him when he went in was comforting. "Okay."

Porter nodded at him before looking away. "Goodnight, Quig."

He watched the former Turk leave. "Goodnight, Port."

-----------------------------------

At five in the morning, Janice slipped back into the infirmary, finding both of her patients sleeping. Quietly, she went about getting two large syringes filled with sedatives. She then went first to Cid and injected the contents of one of the syringes into his I.V. bag, and then went over and did the same for Vincent. With that, she knew that both men would remain unconscious as the drug was administered to them along with their I.V. fluids. If nothing else, there was no way that she was going to risk letting these two awaken before they received what they needed so suppress their inner demons.

-----------------------------------

"Jeanine?"

She stirred from her sleep and opened her eyes. At first, Jeanine didn't recognize where she was and in her confusion, she sat up. She realized that she was lying on one of the bed's in her father's clinic and that Jaras was in the bed next to her.

He offered her a weak smile. "Hey, Jeanie."

Jeanine couldn't help but smile. He hadn't called her Jeanie since being kidnapped by Shinra. She examined him, seeing that his pallor was ghastly, and his eyes clearly displayed his exhaustion, but he was looking at her steadily, not shaking and no longer sweating. "Are you feeling better?"

"Yeah," Jaras sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. "I think I finally stopped throwing up at around three this morning."

Being incredibly tired from her pregnancy, Jeanine had collapsed onto the bed next to her husband's about half past one. She had felt terrible about sleeping while he still felt so poorly, but her body just wasn't up to staying awake any longer. As her father had promised, though, Jaras had apparently pulled through it. "Are you going to be able to stand going through that once a week for three more weeks?"

Jaras' expression fell. "I don't really have a choice. I've got to get this damned Jenova out of me once and for all."

"You were so sick…" Jeanine got up from her bed and went over to him, placing her hands upon his shoulders. "I was scared for you."

"Well, I was too busy feeling like crap to be scared," he said back, offering her another of his smiles. Jaras reached up and tucked an errant strand of her hair behind her right ear. "Don't be scared. You know your dad would never do anything that he wasn't sure of."

"I can't help it, Jaras." Jeanine looked into his eyes, able to appreciate the current lack of their usual luster. "I love you."

He pulled her close for an embrace. "I love you, too, Jeanie."

At that moment, Jeanine's cell phone began to ring. She stepped away from Jaras and pulled it out of her pocket. "Hello?"

"Hey, I need to talk to Jaras."

"Reno? Is that you?" she asked, looking over at her husband.

"Yeah, I need to talk to Jaras," the ASRIO leader replied flatly.

Seeing that Reno wasn't obviously willing to speak with her, Jeanine held to phone out to her husband. "It's Reno."

Jaras took the phone and cocked an eyebrow at her. He put it to his ear. "Reno?"

"Hey, Jaras. I need to talk to you about something." Reno was standing in the hallway right outside of his old room in the base. Angel was still in bed, and he didn't want to disturb her.

"Sure, what's going on?" Jaras knit his brow and leaned forward, picking up on the concern coming from the other man.

"Well, I'm calling about Aaron."

Jaras' eyes went wide. "Is something wrong with him?"

"Not physically." Reno knew that he'd scared Jaras with what he'd said. "Vinny and the whole family came back to the base. Turns out that Cid's got something kinda like Chaos…well, a little fuzzier than Chaos…in him and he came back here for us to help him, but he asked Vinny and his clan out here to be with him. So, right after getting here, Cid and Vinny got into it and fought, landing both Cid and your dad in the infirmary."

Jaras interrupted. "Oh my God, is Dad okay?"

Reno clenched his teeth. "Well…he'll be all right."

He wasn't exactly satisfied with this answer. "Reno, tell me."

"Okay, it's like this-- at some point in the fight, Vinny more or less…got his arm bit off." Reno braced for Jaras' reaction.

"You're fucking me, right?"

Knowing that Jaras didn't make a habit of cursing, let Reno know how unwell he was with the situation. "I wish I was…no, wait, that sounds wrong. I wish I were joking, how about that? And we can clone him a new arm some point down the road."

"He's all right otherwise, though?" Jaras had forgotten the original purpose for this call, as his father's plight was the only thing on his mind now.

"Yeah, I already said that he'll be super." Reno leaned against the corridor's wall. "But I'm calling about Aaron."

"What happened to him?" Jaras asked.

"Well, with Vinny in the infirmary last night, Tifa went to go sit with him and I stayed and babysat the kids." Reno stared down at the floor, reaching up with his free hand and adjusting his eye patch. "Mini Vinny started talkin' to me, and he basically vented all of his worries about Tifa and Vinny not being able to work things out."

Jaras nodded knowingly. During some of his recent conversations with Aaron, his little brother had expressed such fears. "Right."

"Well, he told me flat out that he would rather not live with Vinny and Tifa for a little while, so that they could iron things out alone. That way, if they start fighting again, he won't have to hear it, he said." Reno's heart grew heavy at the memory of his talk with the boy the night before. "Specifically, he told me that he'd like to stay with you. I think you're his favorite person on this Earth, to be real honest with you."

"Oh…wow, uh," Jaras thought for a moment, "I need to run it by Jeanine, and I'm going to be going through some treatments over the next couple of weeks that make me sick for a day or so each time…"

"Hey, if you can't, you can't, I just promised him that I'd ask." Reno was disappointed.

"I'm not saying I can't, it's just that I need to ask my wife, hold on a sec." Jaras lowered the phone and looked at Jeanine. "Uh, Aaron's asking if he could stay with us while Tifa and my father try and reconcile. He doesn't want to be around if they're going to start fighting again."

Jeanine came over and sat next to her husband upon the bed. "That's completely fine with me, if you feel up to it with these treatments you're going to get and all."

Jaras was pensive for a few more seconds. When it got down to it, he just loved his little brother too much to refuse to help him out. He brought the phone back up. "Reno?"

"Yeah?"

"We can watch him for a while, that's fine." Jaras smiled as he related this.

Reno also grinned, knowing how happy it would make Aaron. "That's great, Jaras. He's gonna be thrilled."

"Well, I'd do anything for him. It is all right with Tifa and Dad, correct?"

Reno was quiet for just a second. "Yeah, they're okay with it."

"Good enough." Jaras looked over at Jeanine. "When can we expect him and how's he getting here?"

"I'll have Brad fly him down, maybe tonight or tomorrow." Reno straightened back up, getting ready to hang up.

"Okay, well, we'll be around either at home or at the store." Jaras suddenly remembered something. "Oh, and Reno?"

"Yeah?"

"Look, I'm really sorry about pulling my sword on you the other day." Jaras closed his eyes.

Reno laughed. "Yeah, well, I had it coming, I guess. I shouldn't have walked in on you like that. Hey, I'm gonna go. Talk to you later."

"Okay, thanks. Bye." Jaras turned off the phone and handed it back to his wife. "We need to get the guest room cleaned out, then."

She offered him a warm smile. "We can go home and you just take it easy. I'll get things ready for your brother."

Jaras stood up and stretched. "I'm all right, Jeanie. Let's go."


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter 40

Lilly woke up as the morning light began streaming in through the bedroom window. She rolled over, seeing that Brad had returned at some point in the night. Gently, she reached over and touched his face. "Brad?"

He groaned quietly and then opened his eyes, looking over at her. "Morning, Lil."

"Where were you last night?" she asked, having missed him at dinnertime.

Brad sat up and then ran his hands over his face. It was time to come clean to his wife. "Lilly, I need to tell you something."

Her eyes went wide, and she felt her heart race. "Oh God, you're having an affair, aren't you?"

The chopper pilot outright laughed and shook his head. "No, nothing like that. I can barely keep up with one woman."

Her relief was immediately clear. "Oh, I'm sorry, it's just the way you said that…"

"No." He moved closer to her. "My dad showed up last night."

She rolled her eyes and groaned. Brad's dislike for the man had leached into her over the years. "Are you serious?"

"I am." Brad's shoulders slumped. "He came with Cid."

Lilly smiled, she already knew what he was about to say. "Let me guess, all of that crap about how you told me that your dad and Cid having the same exact names simply out of coincidence is bullshit, and he's actually your half brother?"

Brad cocked an eyebrow at her.

"Come on, Brad." Lilly shook her head. "I've known that was a lie from the get go. Having seen both your dad and Cid, I could tell that they had more than just their names in common. Give me some credit for brains."

"I'm sorry, it's just that I've tried to separate the two in my mind since I met Cid, not wanting to associate him with our dad, since he hated him, too. And I just kept up the lie for you because I didn't want you to dislike Cid because he was so much like the old man." Brad was ashamed of having carried on trying to convince his wife of this flimsy falsity over the years.

"Well, I've never really liked Cid, and it has nothing to do with your father, Brad." She smiled again. "I don't like him because he's an ass, but I've tolerated him because you like him so much. So, I'm guessing you're only coming clean about this because Cid finally learned the truth about you and he being brothers?"

"Yup." Brad only now realized that his charade over the years to Lilly had been pathetically lame. He knew that she was too smart to have ever honestly fallen for it. "But here's the thing. I guess Cid and Dad have reconciled, and after talking to him last night, well, I'm feeling a lot better about him now, too."

Lilly reached over and placed her hand on his leg. "That's good to hear, Brad."

He leaned over and gave her a quick kiss, before getting up from the bed and dressing. Since he hoped that things with Cid would get taken care of today, he opted not to get into anything else about the situation.

Once clothed, he turned back to her. "I'm going back to the base to go take care of some things."

"All right. Will you be back for dinner tonight?"

Brad offered her a smile. "I'll do my damnedest. If I'm going to be late, I'll call."

"Okay." Lilly got out of bed, gave him a kiss, and then disappeared into the bathroom.

Brad left the house and went to the base. Once inside, he went straight to the infirmary, finding his father already at Cid's beside. His brother was sleeping, and Janice was in the room as well, over next to Vincent. She seemed to be checking out his injuries from the day before. The doctor gave absolutely no regard to the chopper pilot's entrance.

Cid Sr. looked over at his son. "Bradley, how goes it?"

"Fine." He pulled a chair over to his brother's bedside. "Has he woken up at all?"

The old man frowned and shook his head. "Naw, he's been out since I got here a while ago."

"Oh," Brad sighed, sitting down. His attention was then drawn over to the infirmary doors as they were thrown open.

Reno appeared. He lifted his cane and pointed it at Brad. "You," he then pointed over at Janice, "and you, now."

Brad looked over at the doctor, who was looking at him in turn. He got up and went with Janice over to Reno. "What's up?"

He narrowed his eye, and firmly planted his cane back on the ground. "Come with me."

The chopper pilot and doctor both knew from Reno's lack of humor that they were in the doghouse for something, and they followed him at a slight distance as he led them away. He took them to Tseng's old room, opened the door, and then motioned for them to enter. They did so, and then Reno came in and locked the door behind them.

Reno turned to face them. "Sit."

Janice and Brad went over to the couch and landed. They had no idea what was going on.

Reno came over and stood before them. "This is about Vinny."

They both suddenly looked guilty.

He considered his two employees for a moment. "Now, I appreciate that a lot of shit happened, but God damn it, if I say we're going to trust someone, we're going to trust them."

"But Reno--" Janice started, but found herself cut off.

"Shut the fuck up! I already had it out with Porter over this same fuckin' thing last night, and now I'm gonna say it to you two. And you, Brad, we already had this discussion back when we pulled Vinny out of that damned cave! I thought you were onboard with me." Reno backed up and sat on the edge of Tseng's bed.

"Look, he fooled us once, okay?" Janice wasn't going to just take being reprimanded, especially not by someone considerably younger than her. "Maybe you're too blind to him because you married his daughter, but the rest of us aren't going to just forget!"

Reno flared with anger and got up again. He reached up and tore away his eye patch and pushed back his hair, revealing his gruesome injury to the both of them. "Look at me, God damn it! He did this to _me_, not you! I had my fuckin' face blown off! I had my mind messed up! I almost fuckin' died! If there's _anyone_ who should hold doubts about him, it should be me, but you know what? I don't, and do you know why?"

They just stared back at him blankly.

"It's because I know Vinny, and I know what he would or wouldn't do on his own!" Reno let his hair fall back down over the right side of his face, and his hand came back to his side. "I'm gonna tell you what I told Porter last night-- if I ever hear either of you two or anyone doubt Vinny again, you _will_ find your asses out on the street, you got me?"

Brad hung his head in submission. "All right."

Janice, however, wasn't going to just bend to her boss's will that easily. She got up and took a few steps toward Reno. "Yeah, I am aware of what he did to you. I'm the one that had to try and put your brains back into your head and keep you alive, you ungrateful bastard! He wanted to kill you, and if you'll recall, he did kill Spencer! So pardon the fuck out of me if I'm a little leery of the situation!"

"Back off, Janice!" Reno was getting incredibly pissed. "I said you are going to stop treating Vinny like shit and doubting him, and that is exactly what you're going to do!"

"Oh, am I?" Janice crossed her arms over her chest.

Reno narrowed his eye. "You sure as fuck are."

She smiled, she actually _smiled_. "Tseng never would have talked to me like this. You're a pathetic fucking excuse for a leader. Well, have a nice fucking time finding another doctor to work in his hell hole."

Reno felt his heart race. "Are you telling me that you're quitting?"

"You're God damned right I am! I don't need this shit." Janice turned and started for the door.

Part of Reno wished to apologize and implore her to stay, but he didn't want her here if she was going to doubt Vincent, and there was also the issue of his pride getting in the way. "Don't let the door hit you in the ass on your way out."

Janice exited and slammed the door.

Brad knew that things had just gotten out of hand. "Oh shit…"

Reno looked over at the chopper pilot. "What about you?"

He raised his hands defensively. Brad knew that the bit about Vincent having actually killed Spencer was probably off limits for anyone to know, so he let that slide right off. "If I don't work here, I don't get to fly. You're not getting rid of me. I'm sorry for what I said about Vincent."

"Okay," the ASRIO leader sighed. "I've got to go get another doctor…"

"Who?" Brad asked.

"Well," Reno thought for a moment, "I guess I'll call Dr. Ritchie."

"He's the guy that's filled in for her a couple of times?" Brad asked, already knowing the answer. Said doctor had relocated his shoulder once when he'd fallen in the hanger and snapped it out of place.

Reno just nodded. "Yeah. Well, you can go back to Cid now. I know you're pretty worried about him being your best friend, and all."

The chopper pilot smiled to himself, knowing that Reno was still oblivious to the fact he and Cid were brothers. Brad got up and headed for the door. He looked back at Reno, seeing that the other man looked to be on the verge of tears. "I'm sorry…are you okay?"

He turned his gaze from the other man and waved at him, indicating that Brad should just leave.

The chopper pilot understood and departed, knowing that Reno needed to be alone.

Once Brad had shut the door behind him, Reno went over to the couch and sat. He leaned forward and placed his head into his hands. "Shit…what am I gonna do?"

"You can't afford to lose Janice, Reno."

He lifted his head to see Tseng sitting on the bed across from him. "You heard what just went on. I…"

"Angel warned you about Dr. Arlin's recent mood, did she not?" Tseng asked, crossing his legs.

"Yeah, she did." Reno hung his head again. "But damn it, I can't stand going around thinkin' that everyone hates Vinny."

"They're just scared, Reno. It's a normal, human thing to do." Tseng shrugged slightly. "Even though they had expressed reservations about him, they have all helped him, haven't they?"

Reno snapped to attention upon hearing this and looked over at his dead partner. "Holy shit, you're right. Brad took me to get Vinny, Janice patched him up after this little thing, and Porter…aw fuck…"

"Give Janice a little while to cool off, then go talk to her. She'll come back." Tseng got up from the bed and walked right before Reno. "Everything will work out as it is meant to."

Reno brought his gaze up and offered Tseng a weak smile. "Okay, thanks, Boss."

"No problem. Go out there and deal with the living now, Reno," he said gently.

After looking away for a second while steeling his resolve, Reno looked up again, seeing that Tseng was no longer there. He sighed heavily and then got up from the couch and left the room.

When he stepped into the hall, he ran into Porter.

Porter, still a little ashamed of his encounter with Reno the night before didn't make eye contact, but he still had something to say. "Reno, I spoke with Quigley and informed him of the need for him to go on the next mission."

Reno was grateful that he'd been spared that task. "Oh, and what did he say?"

"He said he's game to do it. Quig feels that it'll help make up for him having caused some of this in the first place." He shoved his hands down into his pockets.

"Really? I thought Quiggers would go all chicken shit about it." Reno was impressed.

"He's feeling really bad right now, and I don't know if it's his depression over recent events or what, but yeah, he agreed to go like it was no big deal." Porter finally brought himself to look into Reno's gaze. "But, I have a condition regarding the mission myself."

"What's that?" Reno asked.

"I'm going, too."

Reno shook his head. "No fuckin' way! Uh-uh. Nope."

"Yes, I am." Porter crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm not letting my best friend go on some damned mission without going along."

"And I'm not willing to lose all three men on one mission who can work in ASRIO as Second." Reno lifted his cane up and rested it against his shoulder.

Porter knit his brow. "What?"

"Look, you're Second in Command. If something happens to you, the line of accession that I've got drawn up goes you, Ericson, then Quigley. If all three of you are on this mission and don't make it, I'm kinda screwed, because Angel doesn't want the fuckin' job back. I mean, it's bad enough that I have to send Quigley and Ericson in together, but I can't risk throwin' you in, too." Reno looked away.

"It's not negotiable." Porter's mind was made up-- he was going.

Already having lost Janice this morning, Reno realized that he shouldn't push his luck. In an uncharacteristic move, he relented. "Fine, but you have to swear to me that you'll come back."

Porter offered him a smile. "I'll do my damnedest."

Reno nodded in agreement, and then he felt color come to his cheeks as he realized he needed to tell Porter something. "Oh, and uh, Janice is going to be gone for a while."

His green eyes narrowed. "What do you mean? Where's she going?"

"I, uh, got into a fight with her a little while ago. I told her not to dish Vinny any shit, and she sorta blew up." Reno shifted where he stood. "She basically told me to go fuck myself and then she bailed."

"That's not good…" Porter ran a hand through his hair.

"I know, but I'm thinking that I'll be able to talk to her in a few days and maybe smooth things out." He shrugged. "In the meanwhile, I'm going to go see if Dr. Ritchie can fill in."

Porter smiled at the thought of the older man. "Frankie's a good guy, I'm sure he'll come in to help."

"That's what I'm hoping." Reno offered a weak smile. "In any event, I guess we should head to the infirmary to check on old Vinny and Cid, huh?"

"Sure." Porter turned and started to walk toward their destination.

Reno followed along at a distance, thinking about some things. After the incident with Janice, he felt bad for how he'd handled himself with Porter the night before. "Hey, Port?"

He stopped and looked back. "Yeah?"

"I'm sorry, all right?" Reno met his gaze. "We cool?"

Porter offered him a weak smile and shrugged. "I had it coming. We're cool."

Reno grinned. "Thanks."

----------------------------------

Quigley was awakened by a beeping sound. He opened his eyes, seeing that the compounding machine before him was signaling that it was finished with what he was making up for Cid. Sighing heavily, he reached forward and hit the off button for the machine, silencing it. He glanced at his watch, seeing that it was around nine in the morning.

He rose from his seat and stretched, instantly realizing the soreness in his body from having slept in the chair. Quigley flipped open the door on the front of the compounder and pulled out the small vial within. He slipped it into his pocket and made his way to the infirmary.

When he stepped in, Quigley found Porter, Reno, Angel, Tifa, Cid Sr., and Brad within, along with the two patients. All eyes instantly turned to him.

Quigley shifted uncomfortably under the stare of the crowd. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the drug he'd made up for Cid and held it up. "Got it."

There was a group sigh of relief.

Quigley looked around. "We can give it to Cid and give Vincent his, too. Hey, where's Janice?"

Reno tensed his jaw. He hadn't yet broken the news to anyone other than Porter. "Uh, she's…taking a break from being here."

Angel immediately flared and slugged him in the shoulder. "I told you to be careful with her! What did you say to piss her off?"

He turned to his wife, trying to look innocent. "Nothing! I just told her to lay off Vinny! She'll be back! I'll get her to come back!"

"Damn it, Reno." Angel shook her head and turned away. She'd taken it upon herself to examine both Cid and Vincent when she'd arrived, and had seen that their injuries had healed. It was time for them to receive their respective drugs. "Just a second, Quig, I need to get some things together before we get going with the treatments."

A hush fell over the room as everyone tried to accept the fact that Dr. Arlin was gone.

A few minutes later, Angel returned with the syringe of the drug that Quigley had brought for Vincent the night before, as well as several doses of diazapam, in case the injections sent either Cid or Vincent into seizures as the drug had done to Vincent in the past. She went straight to Cid's beside first, understanding that the situation with him was more serious.

Quigley went with her and stood on the other side of his bed, looking over at her. He pulled a syringe out of his pocket and drew up the appropriate dose of the anti-demon drug that he'd made. "Okay, this is it."

"Go ahead," she urged him, motioning for Cid's intravenous line.

He swallowed hard and picked up the line, driving the needle into the injection port. Slowly, he dispensed the contents of the syringe into the pilot.

Cid, still being sedated, didn't have any reaction at first. After a few seconds, however, his eyes flew open and he produced a pained cry, as the drug coursed through his veins. He clenched his teeth, baring his canines, that were already elongating as his demon struggled to fight its way to the surface through the sedation Cid had been infused with for the last several hours.

Brad, standing next to Quigley, saw that Cid was in danger of throwing himself from the bed. He moved to place his hands upon his brother's shoulders, in an attempt to hold him down.

As the drug began to work, Cid started to seize as Angel had feared, and she took one of her syringes of diazapam and reached over, grabbing Cid's I.V. line, and dosing him with the medication.

By the time his seizure began to abate, not only was Brad holding the pilot down, but Quigley, Porter, and Reno also had their hands upon him. As he relaxed and fell back under the effects of the sedation, they slowly backed away.

Angel looked over at Quigley. "And you said we're going to have to do this to him _daily_?"

"With as quickly as his demon developed, I don't see an alternative. But, it shouldn't be as bad, if we keep on top of it." Quigley met her gaze. "We have to do what we have to do."

She nodded at him and then looked at Brad and Cid Sr. "You two, stay with him and make sure he's going to be all right. We need to go take care of Vincent now."

They agreed and she moved over to Vincent's bedside, where Tifa had remained, not wanting to see Cid go though his injection.

Tifa looked at Angel. "Is Cid all right?"

"Yeah, he's going to be fine." Angel offered her a smile. "Are you ready for us to take care of Vincent?"

"Not really," Tifa said, with a hint of a laugh in her voice, "but I don't really have a choice in the matter now, do I?"

Angel shook her head. "No, not really."

Tifa bent down and kissed Vincent's lips gently before backing away. "Just get it over with."

Angel pulled the syringe of the anti-Chaos drug from her pocket and picked up her father's intravenous line. Thinking better of it, she set that syringe down for a moment and took out one of the ones loaded with diazapam and injected him with that first, hoping to avoid him having a seizure. That done, she then went ahead with the Chaos drug.

Vincent, well sedated and having received the diazapam first, reacted only slightly upon injection. His body went rigid for a few seconds, before he went limp again upon the bed. His cybernetic arm twitched a few times, but it's movements quickly ceased as well.

Angel looked up at Tifa and gave her a nod. "There. That wasn't so bad."

Tifa stepped back up to his bedside and picked up his right hand. "No, I guess not. I need to go get Aaron so he can see his dad."

With that, Tifa turned and walked away, going back to her room. She found Aaron and Charlotte there with Rayna. As she tried to shut the door, she realized someone was behind her.

Tifa spun around and found herself looking at Reno. "Oh, hey."

"I talked to Jaras," Reno said, pushing his way past her and into the room.

"What did he say?" Tifa closed the door and then turned to face him.

Reno went over and sat on the couch next to Aaron. "He said he's game to watch Mini Vinny here."

Aaron's eyes lit up. "Really?"

"Yeah," Reno sighed, looking over at the boy. "He'd do anything for you."

"Mom, you are going to let me go, right?" Aaron asked his mother, his expression hopeful.

It was a bittersweet moment for her. Although she wanted Aaron to be happy and to be spared any possible fighting between she and Vincent, Tifa wasn't that thrilled about her son leaving. She forced herself to smile. "Yes, I'll let you go see Jaras."

"Cool." Aaron stood up from the couch. "Can I see Dad now?"

Tifa extended her hand toward the boy. "Come on."

Reno remained on the couch as Tifa left the room with her son. Once they were gone, he looked over, realizing that he'd been left with Rayna. "What's up, Rayna?"

She shrugged slightly, not overly happy with the man at the moment. Rayna shifted Charlotte in her arms and briefly met his gaze. "I'm all right. Did you have to hit my husband last night?"

His cheeks flushed with color. "Uh, it was more of a slap…"

Rayna got up from the edge of the bed where she was sitting and came over to his side. Once situated next to him, she turned to face him. "Reno, are you okay?"

It had been rare that he'd ever spoken to the woman beside him, as she tended to keep to herself. Rayna had been helping ASRIO with some of their payroll needs since her arrival with Porter some years before, but Reno tried to stay as uninvolved with those things as he could. He wasn't really sure what he should or shouldn't get into with her. "I'm coping."

"You've been…angry." Rayna looked at the baby in her arms. "I mean, I can't blame you, after all that's taken place, but you seem like you're on the brink."

His lone teal eye narrowed. "The brink of what?"

Rayna looked into his eyes. "The brink of snapping, what do you think? You're going to have a nervous break down."

Suddenly feeling the threat of tears, he turned away from her and got up. Rayna may not have spoken to him that often, but she'd been able to see what was going on with him well enough. "Naw…"

Rayna sighed. "Reno, you are and you know it."

"I've…I've got shit to go take care of." He quickly walked toward the door and exited. Reno went and locked himself back into Tseng's room and threw himself down onto the bed. Within a few minutes, he felt someone's hand upon his back.

"Reno, are you all right?"

"Do I look like I'm all fuckin' right?" Reno said, his voice betraying the fact he was on the verge of crying.

"Talk to me about it," Tseng said quietly.

Reno soon felt two hands upon his back, kneading his shoulders firmly. "Hey, Tseng?"

"Yes?"

"You ain't getting all gay on me, right?" Reno turned his head and looked over his shoulder, seeing his old friend sitting at his side.

Tseng laughed. "You never turned me on, Reno. I liked blondes."

"Okay then. Keep at it." Reno rested his head upon the pillow and closed his eye. "Tseng, I can't help but feel like I'm fuckin' this whole operation of yours up."

"How so?"

"Everything's getting…" Reno felt an unfamiliar tightness in his throat.

"Fucked up?" Tseng finished for him, a smile reflected in his voice.

"Yeah." He sighed heavily. "I mean, if it hadn't been for Jaras getting that CD from Vinny a while back, Shinra would have had everyone's head on a platter. Since then, things are just a mess. I don't know…fuck it."

"That's the way things go," he replied quietly. "It's the burden of being the boss, I'm afraid."

Reno was beginning to relax somewhat from Tseng's continued touch. "I don't know, I'm just burned out right now, I guess."

"That's normal. I got that way more than once myself." Tseng paused for a moment. "I had a hard time coping a few times."

Reno rolled onto his back, ending his free massage. "Like when? You always were cool about things."

"No, I most certainly wasn't. Don't you recall?" Tseng looked away. "How about when Zale died? I wasn't doing too well then, was I?"

"Well, but that was for a pretty good reason, Boss." Reno placed his hands back behind his head as he stared up at the ceiling. "You kinda loved the guy."

"Ah, it went a little beyond 'kinda', Reno." Tseng smiled to himself. "But I also was under a lot of pressure when we were doing our damnedest to save you from Shinra, and if you'll recall, I was fairly strained when we were tracking down Vincent."

Reno's mouth pulled down into a frown. "That's true. How'd you keep from losing it?"

He shrugged. "I just kept reminding myself that it would all end eventually."

"Yeah, well, I don't want to die to get out of this, thank you very much." Reno propped himself up on his elbows.

"Well, it wasn't my intent to die to escape anything, but what happened, happened."

"Yeah." The current ASRIO leader sat up. "Of course, the argument could be made that I've already lost it, since I can actually see, feel, and hear you now."

"What's more disturbing, though? Sitting there imagining that you're speaking with me, or actually having me here as far as you're concerned?" Tseng met his gaze.

"I don't know, I guess I am nuts. I mean, here you are, and I'm not freaked out about it, although I think seeing you when I was having that out of body experience or whatever helped me accept that you're still around." Reno stared back at him.

"Reno, haven't you noticed that I only say things that you already honestly know?" Tseng crossed his arms over his chest. "If I were really a ghost and still myself, don't you think I'd be telling you things that maybe you didn't know?"

"What are you saying?" Reno sat up.

"I'm just a figment of your imagination." Tseng got up from the bed and stood.

"So, I'm crazy?" Reno grew frustrated. "Is that it? I'm fuckin' nuts?"

"You have multiple bullet fragments lodged in your brain, Reno." Tseng looked down at him. "Some of them affected your senses."

Then it happened. That dreaded sting returned to Reno's eye and the lump returned in his throat. He hung his head and his shoulders heaved as the tears refused to be held back any longer. "Oh God, I'm insane… I've lost my fuckin' mind…"

Tseng just remained where he was, gazing down upon him. "Let it out, Reno."

The former Turk collapsed over onto his side and grabbed the blankets to the bed, pulling them up to his face. "I thought I was doin' so well… I mean, I got shot in the head and I thought I was just fine afterward…"

"It was a life changing event."

"Yeah…" Reno fell silent for a few moments while he tried to gather some composure. "I've got another baby on the way… I've got a little girl… My wife… shit, by the sheer fact of what I'm involved in, they're in danger all the time."

"Reno, think about that for a moment." Tseng sat back down on the edge of the bed.

"About what?" He opened his eye and pushed the blanket from his face.

"Your family." Tseng locked gazes with him. "That's what it boils down to right now. The reality of how dangerous this all is and how that puts some risk on those you love…that's what's honestly eating at you right now, isn't it?"

Reno opened his mouth to say something for a moment, but then shut it again quickly. The thought of the children all caught up with what was presently taking place had been burning in the back of his mind for some time. Especially after seeing what had happened to Aaron. "Oh, fuck…"

"Yes," Tseng sighed. "Your whole family is in this together. Aaron, Dana, Jaras, Vincent, Angel, Tifa, Cid, and his son, too."

Reno shook his head. "Wait, those last two are involved, but Cid and his kid ain't family."

Tseng smiled and cocked an eyebrow. "They aren't? Are you certain about that?"

"Yeah, I've never heard anything to imply they were." Reno sat up once more.

"Perhaps you should ask." Tseng reached out and patted him on the shoulder. "I'll see you later."

Reno blinked and Tseng was gone. "Wait! If I find out that Cid is somehow related to the rest of this fuckin' clan, then that means you just told me something that I _didn't_ know!"

Although Tseng was no longer visible, his voice still replied. "Oh, my mistake."

Reno smiled to himself while he dried his tears. Feeling better, he left the room a short while later and resolved to get things taken care of.


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter 41

Tifa held open the infirmary doors and let Aaron pass her and go within. The boy quickly spotted his father and ran to his bedside.

"Dad?" Aaron said, wanting some reaction.

Vincent was still sedated and didn't stir.

Aaron looked at his mother who was now next to him. "Mom? Why isn't he awake?"

Tifa motioned toward Vincent's I.V. line. She had noticed the tag on the bag earlier that said that a sedative had been added. "He's getting a medicine that's helping him sleep right now."

"But I want to talk to him," Aaron sighed back, disappointed.

Through the drugs, Vincent actually heard his son's voice and he began to fight his way to consciousness. After a few moments of struggling, he managed to crack open his right eye and look at his boy. "Aaron…"

He spun and faced his father again. "Dad!"

Vincent's mouth twitched into what would have to pass as a smile. "Hey."

"Are you okay?" Aaron asked, reaching out and placing a hand on Vincent's chest.

"Yeah." Vincent managed to lift his right hand and bring it up to cover his son's. "I'm fine."

Aaron examined his dad for several minutes, smiling. Then his eyes caught sight of what was lying on the left side of Vincent's body. He pulled his hand away and ran around to the other side of the bed.

The cybernetic arm that had been attached to Vincent the night before both fascinated and terrified him. He dared to reach out and touch it. "What…what's this? What happened to your arm?"

Vincent let his eye drift back closed. "I lost it. That's what I've got now."

"Oh…" Aaron scowled and looked over across the room, to where Cid was sleeping. "_He_ did this to you, didn't he?"

Vincent forced both of his eyes open. "Aaron, Cid didn't mean to do it. It wasn't really him. It's fine."

"The hell it is." Aaron pulled his hand away from Vincent's arm. "Only bad things happen when Cid's around."

"Aaron!" Tifa crossed her arms over her chest.

Vincent looked up at his wife. "Maybe you should take him back to the room."

She realized that she had to tell Vincent something. "Actually, Aaron asked last night if he could go stay with Jaras for a while and Jaras and I both agreed. That way, we can work on things without him getting caught in the middle."

Vincent's mouth opened like he was going to say something, but then he closed it again. He knit his brow and looked over at his son and then back up at Tifa. "Oh…"

She reached down and took up his right hand. "I honestly think it's the best thing we can do for him right now."

It was a good idea, and Vincent knew it. "All right. How's he getting there?"

"Reno said that Brad could take him today." Tifa offered him a smile.

Vincent nodded as best he was able lying down. He then looked at Aaron. "Will you be happy?"

Aaron turned back to his father, having been glaring at the pilot. "Staying with Jaras?"

"Yes," Vincent said quietly.

Aaron smiled. "Yeah, I think so. Besides, once he has that baby, I won't get to see him that much, I'm guessing."

His son had a point and Vincent agreed. "That's fine. Aaron, everything is going to turn out all right. I want you to know that."

After all that Aaron had suffered at the hands of the adults in his life, he wasn't willing to honestly believe anything that he was told anymore, unless it came from Jaras. He just forced a smile for his father's sake. "Sure, Dad."

Tifa felt that she shouldn't let Aaron remain in the infirmary too long and she looked to him. "Okay, let's go back to the room."

Aaron nodded at her, and then climbed up onto Vincent's bed a little so that he could place a quick kiss upon his father's cheek. "I'll see you later, Dad. I love you."

Vincent smiled in response. "I love you, too, Aaron. Be good for your brother."

"I will." With that, Aaron got back onto the ground and walked around the bed. He took his mother's hand and walked from the room.

As they went back toward the room, they passed Reno, but he completely ignored them. Tifa could see that he'd been crying and wanted to ask him if he was all right, but he didn't give her a chance.

Instead, Reno marched straight to the infirmary and went inside. He spotted Brad and Cid Sr. and went over to them. They looked up to him, wondering what was going on now. Brad thought that perhaps he was about to get into trouble for something else.

"I need to ask you guys a question," Reno said to them, looking terribly uncomfortable.

"What's on your mind, son?" the old man asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Is there any way on God's green Earth that, uh, Cid's related to Vinny?" He couldn't even bring himself to look at the men before him, being too ashamed of such an idiotic question.

Brad looked over at his father. "No way, right?"

Cid Sr. grew thoughtful for a moment. "Junior here was giving me some ridiculous story yesterday about how that Vincent guy over there supposedly knocked up Junior's aunt, Lucy."

Reno began to shake. "Lucy as in short for Lucrecia?"

The elder Highwind nodded. "Yeah."

Brad looked at his father. "No shit?"

"That's what Junior said." Cid Sr. glanced over at his sedated son. "'Course, he coulda just been full of it."

"No, I'm thinkin' that he wasn't." Reno took a few steps away, a smile coming to his lips. "In fact, I've got it on pretty good authority that it's completely legitimate."

This was news to Brad and he still looked at his father. "Dad, you're saying that Sephiroth was…or Jaras is Cid's cousin?"

This caught Reno's attention. "Brad? You're…wait, you're related to this old relic?"

"Hey!" Cid Sr. blurted, resenting being called such a thing.

Brad disregarded this, used to Reno's ways. "Yeah, Cid and I are half brothers."

He switched his gaze between Cid, Brad, and their father, suddenly feeling a little self conscious for not figuring it out on his own. "Small fuckin' world."

"Relic…God damn…" Cid Sr. still wasn't over being insulted.

Feeling the tension from the old man, Reno knew that he needed to get some sort of other conversation going. He locked stares with Brad. "So, hey, you up to flying to Mideel?"

Brad knit his brow. "Why?"

"Mini Vinny needs to go stay with Jaras for a while." He shrugged. "I was hoping we could get him there sooner rather than later."

"Oh," Brad turned to Cid's bed for a moment. "I didn't really want to leave him…"

"It's all right, Bradley." The old man got up from his seat and stretched. "I'll be here with him."

Brad was clearly reluctant to go, but knew that he had to follow orders. "Okay. When do you want me to take off?"

"As soon as you can." Reno turned away. "I've got to go make some calls. I'll see everyone later."

"Okay." Brad looked at his father. "I need to go and check out my bird, then. You make sure that Reno calls me if anything changes."

"Will do. See you later, Bradley." The old man offered him a smile.

-------------------------

Rude was standing outside the president's office while said man was within, doing something disgusting inside with his mistress. He'd been there since an ungodly early hour and was sick of waiting. Rude's phone went off in his pocket, surprising him and he pulled it out. "Yeah?"

"Hey."

The Turk's eyes went wide behind his darkened lenses, and he scanned up and down the corridor, making sure that there was no one around to hear his conversation. "What's up?"

Reno was sitting at his desk and he leaned back in his chair. "Just calling to see how my favorite Turk alive is hanging."

"Cut the shit." Rude's lips hinted at a smile and he reached up with his free hand to push up his sunglasses.

"You're no fun anymore." Reno stared up at the ceiling. "Look, I need to talk to you about some things, is this a good time?"

The location sucked and was dangerous, but Rude opted to indulge him. He needed some relief from his tedium. "Sure."

"Okay, so it's like this. We got word that Shinra's sitting on a cure for cancer."

Rude tensed his jaw. Being in the position that he was, he'd heard of such a thing during a conversation between the late Dr. Methius and President Harwin. "True."

Having this confirmation made Reno smile. "Cool. We need to get a hold of it."

Rude had been wondering how long it would take for this information to filter down to ASRIO and he had honestly been expecting this call for ages. "Naturally."

"I've got to send some guys in to secure it, and I'm thinking that the Junon facility is the one we should aim for." Reno leaned forward and rested his elbows on the desk, now feeling hopeful.

Rude drew in a long breath. "Oh, I don't know about that right now, pal. Yeah, that's where what you're looking for is holed up, but…"

"But what?" he asked.

"With all that just took place there, things are kind of tight. They had me send five of my guys there to help shore up things, after your men did whatever in the fuck you did to Peirte Methius. I heard his head was practically ripped off…you wanna explain to me what exactly your guys were doing?"

Reno shuddered to hear that. He'd been told the story of Vincent's rescue by Ericson, and had heard the gruesome details. "Uh, yeah, well, that wasn't one of my guys that did that, it was Vinny."

Rude actually smiled. "Well, good for him. Couldn't have done it to a more deserving fuck. But yeah, that place is tight right now."

"Well, do you have any thoughts?" the ASRIO leader asked.

"Lately, I've been thinking about retirement." Rude leaned back against the wall.

"Retirement?" Reno narrowed his eye.

"Yeah." He sighed. "I'm getting too old for this shit. All I ever do anymore is sit around waiting for the big guy to fuck this or that. There's no more excitement in this anymore. So…I might be willing to help you guys out a little more than usual with this mission."

"But you're my best contact in Shinra! I can't afford to lose you!" Reno was absolutely beside himself.

"Yeah, but I could come and work there with you afterward. It'd be like old times with us on the same team, right?" Rude nearly smiled.

"You saying that you'd come to ASRIO?" Reno's face lit up. The prospect of losing his highest contact in the company was offset by the thought that his best friend could finally be at his side again. "Aw, Rude…that'd be great."

"I think so." Rude straightened back up. "So, let me think about how I can go about helping you guys out with this and I'll be in contact."

Reno didn't get a chance to say anything further as he was hung up on. He set his phone on his desk and laced his hands behind his head as he leaned back. Having Rude with him again was something he'd wanted for ages. "This is gonna be great…"

-----------------------------------

Angel entered the infirmary and checked Vincent and Cid both over before taking them off of their I.V. fluids so that they could come out from under sedation. Once that was done, she looked over at Cid Sr. "Are you going to be here for a while?"

He just nodded.

"Okay. They should start waking up in the next half hour or so. I've got some things to take care of, so I can't stay here, but there's a call button over there and if anything goes wrong, you hit it, all right?"

"Sure thing, Miss." He gave her his trademark Highwind smirk.

"Thanks." With that, she left.

The old man settled into his chair to continue his vigil. He crossed his arms over his chest, grimacing. His stomach had been bothering him since he'd gotten up, although he had no idea why. With no one around to complain, he thought about lighting up and having a cigarette, but he decided against it. There was an unfamiliar tightness in his chest, and he wondered if he was coming down with something.

He had almost managed to fall asleep when he heard Cid's voice.

"What's going on..?"

The elder Highwind got up from his seat and stood over his son's bedside. "Junior, you okay?"

After focusing on his father, Cid nodded slightly. "Yeah, I think so."

"That Angel lady said you were healed up from your surgery last night." He motioned toward Cid's body.

This seemed beyond the pilot's comprehension and he pulled back the sheet covering his body and looked at where he'd been shot and then subsequently cut open. There was no sign of any incision or entry wound upon him, and his eyes went wide. "Holy fuck, check that out…"

"Yeah, that's some stuff, huh?" Cid Sr. smiled.

"I'll say." Cid sat up slowly, still in disbelief over being able to do so already.

"You feelin' all right, though? They gave you somethin' this morning that was supposed to keep you from doin' whatever it was you did to that Vincent fella again." He pointed over across the room.

Cid turned his gaze to his friend. "Oh…"

Cid's father suddenly looked pained and he placed his left hand upon his right upper arm. "Damn it…"

"What's wrong?" Cid grew concerned and looked at the old man.

He forced a smile and let his hand fall back to his side. "Just old, getting pains here and there, nothing big."

Cid could see something in his father's expression that told him not to buy that answer completely, but he wasn't up to arguing with him. "Has anyone said anything about Jin showin' up or calling?"

"I ain't heard nothin'." He went back over and sat in the chair he'd been in.

"Damn it." Cid pulled his legs out from beneath the sheet and threw them over the side of the bed. He looked down at his arm, seeing that he was no longer hooked up to anything. "I need to go call her and see what she's up to."

"You sure you're ready to do that?" Cid Sr. asked.

"Yeah." Cid slid off the bed and stood. His world spun for a moment as there was still some of the sedative in his blood, but things cleared up quickly. Cid took a few steps away from the bed toward the center of the room, but looked down seeing that he was in nothing but a pair of boxers. "Damn it, I guess I can't go running around the base like this."

His father huffed and got up again. "I'll go see if I can find someone to get you something to wear."

"Thanks." Cid remained where he stood as the old man left the room. Once alone, he went over to Vincent's bed.

Vincent's eyes were still closed and he seemed to be sleeping.

Cid leaned toward him. "Sue?"

Vincent didn't do anything.

Desperate to talk to him, Cid reached out and placed his hand on Vincent's chest and jostled him slightly. "Sue, wake up."

Vincent looked flat out annoyed when his eyes finally opened. "What do you want?"

"Are you okay?" Cid asked, still leaning over him.

Vincent reached up with his cybernetic arm and pushed the pilot away. "Personal space…"

"Sorry." He straightened up. "But seriously, are you okay?"

Vincent rolled onto his side, facing away from Cid. "I told you last night that I was."

There was something different in Vincent's behavior than the pilot had gotten used to over the last few years. Vincent seemed to want to shut him out. Cid wasn't going to let that happen. "Come on, Sunshine."

"I'm tired, go away." Vincent curled up a little, pulling the sheet around him tighter.

"Damn it," Cid huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "You're pissed at me."

"It wasn't you, Cid."

"Yeah, sorta it was. You told me to keep calm and not let anything get to me that would cause me to snap like that, and I still did." He hung his head. "I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry…I'm sorry…" Vincent turned his head and looked back at Cid. "That's all I've heard from you since you showed up at the house when I was supposed to come here to help get Jaras. 'I'm so fuckin' sorry, Sue'," he said back, doing his half-assed impersonation of Cid's tone.

Cid knit his brow. "See, you are pissed at me."

Vincent sat up and looked him square on. "Shouldn't I be?"

"Yeah, you should." Cid moved to sit on the edge of Vincent's bed. "I mean, when you first found out about what I did with Tifa, you got mad and tried to kill me. That's what I expected, then you started this 'Oh…well, I'm upset, but I'm gonna try and swallow it' routine. That's not good for you. Let it the fuck out. I interfered with your marriage, and now I tore off your arm. Get mad and let it out, Vince. Don't pull this sulky, 'leave me alone' bullshit."

Vincent sighed and frowned. "We're going to keep talking about what happened with Tifa and you, and that's the last thing I want to think about. I'm trying to save my marriage, I don't need the fact that she was with you thrown in my face every time you try and get serious with me. I don't want to talk about anything. Just…give me my space."

"I'm not givin' you anything until I know where I stand with you." Cid crossed his arms over his chest. "When you got me to the train station, we seemed all right, and the fact that you came out here after I called you about this demon thing, well hell, I figured we were all right then, too."

"Yeah well, don't just expect me to get over losing my arm instantly. We are okay, Cid. We're friends, there, does that make you feel better? Huh?" Vincent narrowed his eyes. "Maybe my being in an unpleasant mood doesn't have anything to do with you. Did you ever think of that? Not everything is about you, Cid. You turn everything back around to yourself, and quite frankly, I'm sick of it and don't really need it at the moment."

Cid opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out.

"Don't you think you'd be just a little down maybe if your arm was removed? Oh sure, I'm an old pro at that, though, right? I mean, nothing new for Vincent Valentine…" He hung his head and turned away from the other man. "Nothing new at all…"

Cid reached out and placed his hands on Vincent's shoulders. "Come on, Sue…"

Vincent drew in a long breath and then sat up straight. "I…I'm going home. I'm not doing this anymore. I just want to go home and get my life back together."

"But…" Cid wasn't willing to be left alone without Vincent or Tifa in the base, since Jin hadn't arrived or even called.

"You're afraid to be alone, I can appreciate that." Vincent slid from the bed and stood, before turning to his friend. "If I thought I could stand being here…well I would stay, but I've got a new baby and I know things would just be easier for Tifa and I if we were at home."

Cid scowled. "I ain't alone. Even if Jin isn't here, I've still got Brad and the old man."

"Good." Vincent looked down, seeing that he was just in a pair of boxers, not unlike Cid. However, whereas Cid wasn't willing to walk out of the infirmary in just those, Vincent didn't care. He strode from the infirmary and back to the room he and Tifa had shared.

He threw open the door, spotting Tifa sitting on the couch nursing Charlotte. He looked around, searching for Aaron, but didn't see him. "Did he already leave?"

Tifa smiled sadly and nodded. "Yeah, he just left a little while ago."

"Oh." Vincent was disappointed. He shut the door behind him and went over, landing next to Tifa on the couch. "How's Charlotte doing?"

Having just finished feeding her, Tifa held her over to him. "She's great. Hold her."

He suddenly looked pained and stared down at his left arm for a moment.

She saw him do this. "Don't worry about it. L.C. didn't care when he was a baby and you held him with two arms like that, so you can figure that Charlotte's not going to mind, either."

Vincent couldn't help but smile as he thought about the pilot's son as an infant. L.C. had been the first baby he'd ever held. Thusly reassured, he took the baby girl and held her close.

Tifa got up from the couch and looked down at them. "We're going to make it, right?"

He looked up and met her gaze. "We have to, for her and Aaron."

"Vincent, I still love you." She remained where she was before him.

His smile returned. "And I you. I never stopped loving you."

Tifa felt tears well up in her eyes and she dropped to her knees before him. The Vincent that she had originally fallen in love with may have been missing for much of the last six years, but here he was now. "I'm glad that you came back."

Somehow, he knew that this had more than one meaning to it. He glanced down at Charlotte and saw that she was asleep. Carefully, he got up and took her over to the portable crib set up in the room. He lowered her into it and then turned to Tifa. "I'm going to get cleaned up, and then we're going out."

Tifa's eyes lit up. "Really?"

"Yes." Vincent felt that there was something that he had to do. He walked toward the bathroom and went inside. After getting the shower running, he pulled off his boxers and stepped beneath the water.

After a few moments of hesitation, Tifa followed him. She shed her clothing and then opened the shower door a small way. "Room for me?"

Vincent nodded and stepped to the side.

Tifa entered and winced as the water first hit her. Vincent always tended to run it too hot for her. When she looked at him, she saw that he was staring back at her, a faint smile upon his lips. "What?"

Vincent shrugged. "Nothing."

Not able to help herself, Tifa threw her arms around him, no longer giving any attention to the water that ran over her. "Vincent…"

He closed his eyes and held her tightly. "Yes?"

"If you're very careful, you can," she said quietly.

Vincent brought her out to arm's length. "Tifa, it's not been long enough…"

"I'm not nearly as hurt as I was after having Aaron, Vincent. I can handle it." Tifa looked into his eyes, wanting him to know how sincere she was.

Already aroused by the prospect, Vincent found it difficult to argue with her. If she seemed willing to throw the customary six weeks post partum rule out the window, he wasn't certain that he was in a position to disagree. "Tifa… I can't risk hurting you."

"If it hurts, I'll tell you."

He closed his eyes and sighed heavily. In a way, Vincent knew that he needed to see if he could even complete the act with her anymore after having seen her with Cid. Vincent took her into his arms and let his lips meet hers.

Tifa made a relieved sound against his mouth, having been afraid that he would turn her down. Even though she had just told him that she didn't think it would hurt, she knew good and well that it was going to, but still, she was willing. After all that she'd put him through, Tifa felt that she owed it to him. Slowly, she turned in his embrace and then leaned forward, supporting herself against the wall of the shower.

With Tifa offering herself up as she was, the last of Vincent's resistance faltered. He pressed against her back, and allowed his right hand to trail downward, gently testing her.

At the intrusion of his fingers, Tifa tensed her jaw. There was no way around it, it hurt, but it wasn't unbearable. "Just go ahead, Vincent."

Although he clearly heard the trepidation in her voice, he shoved it aside. She was asking for this and he was going to try. He cautiously drove into her, feeling her body react as he did so, indicating that it was painful. "Tifa, are you all right?"

_I deserve to be hurt, don't stop, _she thought as she closed her eyes, coping with the sensation of Vincent being within her. "Yeah, go ahead."

"You don't sound all right."

"Damn it…" There were tears in her eyes, although they were hidden from him thanks to their positions. "It's okay."

Vincent put his arms around her waist, not daring to move inside of her. He put his lips close to her ear. "Why do you want me to do this if it hurts you?"

Silent tears were now marking her cheeks in wide tracks. "Vincent…"

He closed his eyes and sighed, before easing his way out of her. "I can't, Tifa."

She spun to face him. "But…"

"I will not intentionally harm you."

Tifa smiled. She had the answer. "Chaos isn't talking to you?"

Vincent shook his head. "No."

"He wouldn't have let you quit."

"I am aware of that." Vincent placed his arms around her and pulled her to him. "Was that your purpose? To test me?"

"No." Tifa closed her eyes and placed her head against his chest. "I wanted you to do it, thinking that if nothing else, I deserved…"

"You honestly feel that you deserve to be hurt?"

The tears still fell from her eyes. "After what I did to you, yes."

Vincent smiled, and tightened his grip around her. "You never deserve to be physically hurt, Tifa. Don't ever think that, and that's not something that I would ever want to do. I know I've hurt you in the past but it was Chaos. It was always Chaos. You and I…we've never honestly been alone except for the first few weeks after I received my anti-Chaos injections six years ago."

"That seems so strange. I thought for all these years that he was gone when the whole time…" Tifa sighed.

"I know." Vincent had possessed a certain intention in wanting to take her outside of the base, and he still wanted to get to it. "Let's just finish our shower and then go, all right?"

She stepped back from him. "Don't you want me to uh, you know, do something for you?"

Honestly, his arousal had gone by the wayside once he'd seen how much he was hurting Tifa. "No, not right now, I'm fine. Maybe we can try something tonight."

"Okay." Tifa smiled at him and then reached over and picked up the soap. "Let's get to it, then."

---------------------------------

Cid's father had managed to get a hold of a shirt and some jeans that he could fit into and thusly dressed, he'd left the infirmary. Now, he and the old man were sitting in his room on the couch there.

Cid found himself staring at the phone, wanting Jin to call desperately before he broke down and called her. He was unhappily concerned that she hadn't tired to get any word to or from him since he'd left the day before.

"Junior, quit tryin' to work the fuckin' phone with your mind and just call her already." Cid Sr. was getting tired of watching his son sit there, occasionally sighing heavily as he awaited something.

He looked over at his father. "Can I have some privacy for a minute?"

"Sure." The elder Highwind got up from the couch. "I'm gonna go outside for a while. I'm…"

"You're what?" Cid asked.

"I'm just feeling stifled, that's all. Maybe gettin' some fresh air will help me out." He started for the door.

"Okay, I'll come get you when I'm done and we can head into town and get something to eat." Cid finally picked up the phone.

"Fine." He made his way to the door and exited.

After steeling himself, Cid dialed Jin's cell number.

She answered on the fourth ring. "Hello?"

He found it hard to reply right away. "Oh…hey, uh, hi Jin."

There was a silence on her end for several seconds. "Cid?"

"Hey." Cid closed his eyes. "I'm sorry for runnin' out on you like that yesterday."

The door to the room opened and she stepped in, tossing her cell phone over onto the bed. "You know, if you'd just waited about thirty seconds, you could have saved us that cell call."

Cid launched himself from the couch and took her into his arms. "God damn it, Jin, I'm real fuckin' glad you're here."

She smiled. "I had to come to be with you. I wasn't going to let you go through this alone."

He stepped back from her for a moment. "Where's L.C.?"

"I left him at Jimmy's house." Jin looked around the room. "I figured that if things might be dangerous, that I should leave him there."

"Good thinking." Cid locked into her gaze.

Jin's eyes went wide. "Oh my God…you said in the note that there was a change in your eyes, but…"

He kept looking straight at her, knowing that she needed a good view of them. They were, after all, pretty fascinating. "Freaky, huh?"

"Actually," Jin came forward and placed her hands on the sides of his face, "they're kinda…pretty. I was worried they were gonna be that same creepy red color as Sue's."

"Yeah, that would have been worse, huh?" Cid smiled at her. "But they gave me something this morning I guess that's supposed to keep it under control. I need to get it every day, though."

"Every day?" Jin didn't like to hear that. "But Vincent can go years between rounds of treatment!"

"I know, but what I've got, I guess, is a little different." Cid finally looked away as he led her to the couch.

"Have…have you seen it?" she asked, sitting down.

He landed beside her. "Well, I didn't see myself so much, but some other people did."

"You changed?" Her eyes went wide.

"Yeah."

"Christ alive, Cid!" She drew her hands up to her mouth.

"I know." He shook his head. "I freaked out, turned into some monster thing, tore off poor Sue's left arm, and then got shot by Reno three times and then had to have surgery to put me back together."

"What? Why in the hell are you in here in your room?" She was shocked. "Shouldn't you be in the infirmary?"

"Naw, I healed completely from my injuries already." Cid shrugged. "I guess it's not all bad. One good side effect, anyway."

Jin didn't know what else to do other than lean toward Cid and kiss him.

A/N-- Updates on this come as fast as I can manage. The more inspired I am, the faster they get written. Reviews inspire me, or at least make me feel like y'all care : )


	42. Chapter 42

Chapter 42

"So, where's your dad?" Jin asked, as she and Cid sat nestled together on the couch.

"He went up for some air." Cid shrugged. "I don't think he's feeling very good today."

"And have you and he been talking?" She nuzzled into the side of his neck.

Cid caught his breath as a shiver was sent through him from what Jin's tongue was doing below his ear. "Oh, uh, yeah, we have. I found out some things that made me change my take on him."

"That's great."

"Jin, I found out that Brad's my half-brother." Cid closed his eyes as his wife continued to tease the skin of his neck.

She quickly sat back. "What?"

"Yeah, the old man's his dad, too." Cid offered her a smile.

"…and you just found out? Did Brad know?" Jin knit her brow.

"Brad knew all along, but I was completely in the dark. He said he never told me that he was my half-brother because he somehow thought that it would effect our friendship." Cid placed his hand on Jin's leg. "But, it's all out there now."

"So, you're feeling completely fine after all you've been though?" Jin leaned closer to him again.

Cid smiled to himself, knowing what was on her mind. After all, it was their usual way of coping with stressful situations. "Completely all right."

-----------------------------------

Vincent had dressed in some of the clothes he had abandoned here after fleeing the base some time before. He made an effort to try and look nice, even going so far as to tie his hair back neatly.

Tifa emerged from the bathroom after getting her makeup on and she froze upon seeing Vincent. It had been a long time since she'd seen him cleaned up so well and actually looking as though he took some pride in his appearance.

Vincent felt her stare and turned to look at her. "Is something wrong?"

She was unable to suppress her smile. "No, nothing at all."

He cocked an eyebrow at her. "I see. In any event, I asked Porter and Rayna if they would be game to watch Charlotte while we went out, and they said yes."

"Oh," her expression changed to one of hesitation. "We're leaving her?"

"It won't be long, Tifa." Vincent walked over to her and placed a hand upon her shoulder. "I just want to have a little while with you, alone. There are some things that I need to say to you, and I'd rather not have any distractions."

Tifa felt her heart rate jump. She had no idea what was on Vincent's mind, but he seemed very serious. Although she knew that she could trust their elected babysitters without worry, like any mother, she was reluctant to leave her infant for more than a few minutes. However, whatever was going on seemed important to Vincent, and she would indulge him. "Okay, whatever you like."

The fact that she was being so completely subservient to him seemed strange to Vincent. Over the last several years, anything he said had become a challenge for Tifa to defy. He realized that he had gotten her attention and that she was positively terrified that he was going to leave her. "Let's go."

They walked down the hall and to Rayna and Porter's room. Vincent knocked on the door and Rayna quickly answered. "Hi."

Tifa stepped forward and handed the baby over to the other woman. "Hey, Rayna. Thanks for watching her for us."

"I'm glad to do it." She held the baby close to her chest. "It's just practice in case someday Porter and I actually manage to have one."

Vincent bent forward and placed the diaper bag at Rayna's feet. "Are the two of you trying?"

"We're going to start undergoing some infertility treatments next week." Rayna smiled hopefully. "We were told that there was a way to possibly overcome what has prevented us from having kids thus far."

Tifa nodded. Having been unaware of such problems with Rayna and Porter, she felt sorry for them. "I really hope that works out for you."

Rayna frowned a little. "So do I."

Vincent looked over and took Tifa's hand. "We need to go. Again, we thank you."

"No problem." Rayna gave them one last smile before they turned and walked off.

Vincent never let go of Tifa's hand as he led her silently from the base. Tifa didn't dare speak, being afraid, in part, of what Vincent was up to. As they went, she would chance the occasional glance over at him, but Vincent never looked back. His gaze was fixed on the ground before them, his face betraying no expression.

Eventually, they ended up in front of one of the nicer restaurants in town and went in. They were quickly given a table. When the waitress came over to take their orders, Tifa made her request and then waited for Vincent to do the same.

He leaned back in his seat and thought for a moment. "Wutain tempura."

"And to drink?" the waitress asked.

Tifa held her breath. It had been a long time since Vincent had ordered a drink when they were out that wasn't alcoholic. She braced to see if he really was going to try and be different or not.

Vincent locked gazes with his wife and smiled faintly. "Iced tea."

Tifa couldn't help but sigh in her relief.

He knew what was on her mind. "I have no reason to drink anymore, Tifa."

She didn't honestly know what to say in response to that and just looked back at him.

"I'm beyond that now. I know what was wrong with me and why I failed you so badly." Vincent didn't waver in his stare. "Even if they aren't ever able to completely remove Chaos from within me, I'll see to it that I take the anti-Chaos drug whenever I so much as think I hear him in my mind. I won't let him influence me anymore."

"Okay." Tifa folded her hands upon the table before her.

"And I have something to confess to you."

She tensed her jaw and braced for whatever he was going to say.

"While I was on the ferium, I went out one night. As I sat in a bar, I was approached by a woman." Vincent kept his voice quiet in his shame.

She just nodded, her hands suddenly feeling cold.

"As it turns out, she was a prostitute." His cheeks gained a slight bit of color, but he never broke eye contact. "Having figured that our marriage was over after having seen you with Cid, I went ahead and hired her."

Tifa gasped. Never would she have imagined Vincent doing such a thing. Then again, he said he had been on the ferium, and while on that he'd done many bad things. "Oh…"

"She took me to her room." Vincent bit his lower lip for a moment, seeing the pained look that washed over his wife. "I intended to give in, but as luck would have it, there's a side effect of ferium that I was wholly unaware of. I wasn't able to do anything with her in the least, as the drug made me…ineffectual."

"So…you didn't do anything?" Tifa asked, hoping that she'd just heard him right.

"No, I ultimately did nothing with her." Vincent's shame finally forced him to look away. "However, it had been my intent or at least, it had been Chaos' intent. He drove me to do it. More or less, he had complete control of me while I was on that drug."

Although it hurt to hear that he had almost done something with a common whore, he hadn't and when push came to shove, Tifa knew she had no room to speak. Her shoulders slumped as she accepted what Vincent had said. It was something she could live with. "That's all right, Vincent."

"Our marriage was never really ours," Vincent sighed. "It was always you, myself, and Chaos."

"Yeah." Tifa produced an unconscious smile. "Damn Chaos… And then I basically pulled Cid into it, too."

Vincent reached across the table and took her hand. He carefully slid her wedding ring from her left ring finger. "In light of all that, I almost feel as though we were never honestly wed."

Tifa knit her brow. _Is he saying that we're not married anymore?_ she wondered, filling with dread. The color drained from her face as she watched him consider her gold band as he held it between his fingers.

Vincent turned his gaze to meet hers again and saw this, but his emotionless expression didn't break. He got up from his seat and went and knelt beside her chair and then took her hand back into his right one. "Tifa, I want to do it again, and this time, I want to do it right."

Poor Tifa was terribly confused now. She was lost. "Huh?"

"Tifa," his eyes finally betrayed some feeling, "I want us to get married again, but this time, it will be just us. I want to start over. That's how it has to be. Either we start over again with a clean slate, or we end it here and now." Vincent felt a burn in his eyes and his voice wavered. Although he hadn't let on, he was just as scared as Tifa was. "Will you marry _me_?"

Seeing the fear in him broke her heart. Tifa threw her arms around his neck and pulled him close. "Of course I will, Vincent. I always loved you…despite it all, I always loved you…"

He placed his arms around her in return and closed his eyes. "I'm sorry for everything…"

Tifa sat back and placed her hands on the sides of his face. "It wasn't your fault, Vincent. It was Chaos. We know that now."

Vincent held up her wedding ring between them. "I'm going to hold onto this until we make it official."

Tifa nodded and then looked around, seeing that the restaurant's other patrons were staring. She blushed immediately. "Everyone's looking."

Vincent stood back up as he slipped her ring into his pocket. He made his way back around the table and sat in his seat. "I've gotten rather accustomed to being stared at in places such as this. Ask Cid sometime."

Tifa cocked an eyebrow at him. "What?"

Vincent grinned widely as he looked over at her. "When I took him to the train station to get back here, we were in a diner. He had been messing with me that morning, so I retaliated."

"What did you do?" she asked, resting her elbows upon the table and leaning forward.

He laughed quietly. "As we sat there, I told him that I had something that I needed to tell him, as the conversation had gotten serious."

"Right…" Tifa narrowed her eyes, seeing that Vincent looked pleased with himself.

"I proceeded to tell Cid that I had been in love with him for years." He shook his head. "You should have seen his reaction."

"So, he honestly thought you were serious?" Tifa couldn't help but smile.

"Yes, and he flipped out and made a big scene." Vincent laughed again as the memory played itself out.

"You're lucky he didn't just kill you!" She was amazed that Vincent would dare to joke in such a way.

"I suppose, but I acted like his negative reaction tore me apart and I stood up in front of all the people that were there and behaved as though I was devastated." He dropped his gaze to the table. "Cid didn't know what to do. I've never seen him that freaked out before. It was well worth the public humiliation, I assure you."

"I never would have imagined you would do something like that, Vincent." Tifa's smile widened.

"Neither would I, but he had it coming." Vincent leaned back as the waitress placed their drinks upon the table.

"You saved his life…when he told me that, Vincent, I…I knew that the real you had honestly returned." Tifa reached across the table and grabbed his right hand. "I will be forever grateful for that. Besides, in doing that, he was here to basically tell Reno where to find you, so, he saved you, too."

"He promised me that he wouldn't tell anyone where I was." Vincent knit his brow and frowned. "He swore to me that he didn't, too."

"Well, you know as well as I do that he must have said something to Reno so that he knew where to find you." She tightened the grip she had on his hand.

"So I figured." Vincent looked at where their hands met upon the table. The thought of the last time they had sat like this together ripped through him, and his expression reflected it.

Tifa saw his mood change. "What's wrong?"

He shook his head. "I'm sorry for some of the things that I said after I found out…"

"No, it's all right. I screwed up… I deserved everything that I got." Tifa had tears in her own eyes now. "I don't even deserve your forgiveness and yet, you seem willing to do just that to me and Cid."

"As I told Cid, neither of you did it with the intention of hurting me, so forgiveness is easy. After what I put you through, I can understand the first time." Vincent sighed heavily. "And then after you thought I was dead… well, I was supposed to be dead, right?"

Tifa wiped her cheeks dry with the back of her free hand. "God, Vincent, when Reno showed up that night with your gun and cloak… Before he even said anything, I knew and I… It was the worst moment of my entire life."

"I'm sorry." Vincent narrowed his eyes. "And I'm sorry for what all of this has done to our son."

"I know. I've been thinking about that a lot lately." She frowned. "I'm the worst mother on record for the emotional roller coaster I put him on when we were told you were dead."

"I know this will sound wrong, but in a way, it's good that all of this happened." He met her gaze again. "Because if it hadn't, we might have kept on the way we were going, and that was messing him up. Now, we have this chance to set things right."

"Right." Tifa gave him a smile. "Like you said, a clean slate."

The food was brought shortly thereafter and they ate in silence. Once they were done, Vincent pulled out enough money to cover the bill and threw it on the table. He took Tifa's hand within his right, and they left.

As they walked, Tifa spoke up. "Hey, if you're holding onto my wedding ring, where's yours?"

Vincent grimaced and quit walking. He reached into one of his pockets and pulled out a small plastic bag. "They retrieved it off of my arm, but I haven't gotten to clean it yet."

Tifa took the small bag from him and saw that his blood stained ring was within. "Oh… Vincent, are you okay about, you know, losing your arm?"

He raised his left hand up and examined it for a moment. "There's piteously little that I can do about it at this point."

"I can't believe that happened to you." Tifa placed his ring in her pocket and then took hold of his left hand.

"I was simply fortunate to have escaped with my life." He produced a smile. "I can live with this."

His resilience amazed her. "So, we're staying here until you finish your course of treatments, right?"

"I have some of the drug at home, I can finish my own treatments. I want us to get back as quickly as possible." Vincent looked into her eyes.

"Okay, Cid will be all right now that they have something to help him out and hopefully, Jin will show up sooner or later to be with him." Although she wasn't thrilled with the idea of Vincent administering his own doses, Tifa knew better than to argue with him about it.

"Hopefully." Vincent's eyes narrowed in thought again. "Tifa, do you love him?"

She hadn't been expecting that question, and she felt her face go red.

"It's fine if you do, Tifa. Just be honest." Vincent searched her for the answer.

"I…yeah, in a way, but not like I do you." Tifa was ashamed to admit that she did care for the pilot, but since it was the truth, then she wouldn't deny it.

"That's fine. I know he cares an awful lot about you, too." Vincent started walking, letting her reply slide off his back.

She looked at him as they went. "Like I said though, it's not like I love you. Want to know the truth?"

Vincent turned his head toward her. "What's that?"

"We were fighting within a day." Tifa shook her head and looked down at the ground. "He's great as a friend, but to live with…to be with, God, he's a pain in the ass."

"You came to your senses." Vincent's tone indicated that he was only partially joking.

Tifa laughed to herself. "You could say that. I don't know how Jin puts up with it."

"Because she's just like him." Vincent let go of her hand and draped his arm around her shoulders.

"That's true, and I'm lucky she didn't hurt me." Tifa smiled to herself.

"I'm sure you could take her in a fight." He jostled her, causing her to sway.

Tifa raised her eyebrows. "I don't know, have you seen her in a tank top? She's got some serious guns on her…she's a monster."

Vincent laughed to himself. "You're the best hand to hand fighter I've ever seen. I still think you could take her."

"I haven't fought in ages, Vincent." She giggled. "Besides, I just had a baby, I'm in horrible shape."

"I think your shape is just fine." Vincent kissed her on the cheek, not stopping walking.

Tifa looked at him again. Things hadn't been this relaxed between the two of them in ages. It felt incredibly good. "Vincent?"

"Yes?" His eyes were once more trained upon the ground.

"I missed this."

"So did I." Vincent smiled. "So did I, Tifa."

They eventually found their way back to the ASRIO base and went within. They retrieved Charlotte and retreated to their room.

Tifa nursed the baby and then placed her into the crib. That done, she turned to face Vincent as he sat on the couch, staring blankly at the television. "Do you think Aaron's all right?"

He snapped out of his state and looked over at her. "I'm sure he's fine. I bet he's sitting right in the cockpit with Brad watching the scenery go by."

"Yeah, luckily he has no fear of flying, huh?" Tifa went over and stood before Vincent. "Unlike his father."

"No, all of the flights he made with L.C. and Cid have done him good." He looked up at her and gave a smile.

Slowly, she knelt before him and placed her hands upon his knees. "So…about taking care of you…"

He simply cocked an eyebrow.

"First, though," she reached up and behind him, untying his hair so that it fell freely, "there, that's better."

"I thought I looked better with it back," Vincent said, sounding completely serious.

Tifa shook her head and let her hands slowly trail down his chest. "No, it's better like that. That's the point of having great hair like that, right?"

Vincent's reply caught in his throat as he stared down, seeing Tifa unbuckling his belt.

She smiled upon seeing his expression. This was something that she hadn't actually done that frequently for him, although she knew he, like all men, enjoyed it. Within a few short seconds, she had his pants undone and was slipping her hand beneath his boxers. As she had expected, he was already aroused by the time she touched him. "I'm glad that the physical effects of the ferium were only temporary."

Vincent managed to produce a strained sounding laugh. "Yeah…"

Tifa gave him one more smile before lowering herself down and taking him into her mouth.

Not having had any sort of release since leaving before the mission to get Jaras, it didn't take Vincent very long to be driven over the edge. Right before it happened, he gently tried to get Tifa to back off, knowing that she didn't ever let him go all the way like this. She resisted, however, determined to satisfy him this way for once.

Vincent cried out quietly and then relaxed into the cushions of the couch. He was surprised that Tifa had done this for him, and even more shocked when he realized that she wasn't running off to spit anything out.

She saw his amazed and pleased expression and moved to sit beside him on the couch. "Feeling better now?"

He just gave her a dumbfounded nod.

"Good." Tifa nuzzled into his side and closed her eyes.

-----------------------------------

Cid and Jin had been lying on the bed in their room for a while before he finally became restless and got up. He dressed quietly, not wanting to wake Jin who had been up the entire night before while traveling to the base. Once that was done, he slipped from the room, wanting to track down his father. It had been long enough that he figured his old man was probably back inside and he began to search for him.

After combing the base, he found Cid Sr. nowhere and so went outside. He saw his father's airplane still sitting on the tarmac where it had been left and he went over to it. The door on the side of it was open and Cid looked in.

Cid Sr. was just sitting there within, a lit cigarette hanging from his lips. "Hey, Junior."

He climbed inside and sat opposite to the old man. "What are you doing?"

"Dunno." He looked around the plane. "Just have this weird feeling and I felt more comfortable in here for whatever reason."

Cid considered his father for a moment. "Dad, you don't look too good."

"Just tired, Junior." He pulled the cigarette from his lips and extinguished it on the metal armrest of his seat before allowing it to fall to the floor. "I'm God damn tired."

"Jin arrived a little while ago." Cid leaned back in his seat.

"So you'll have her here with you, then?"

The pilot nodded. "Yeah."

"Good, as long as you're not alone." Cid Sr. ran a hand though his hair. He was starting to feel smothered again.

"Well, you're here, too." He locked gazes with his father, seeing something change in the old man's countenance.

"Right." He felt a sweat break on his skin. "I can't fuckin' breathe… All damn day long."

"I'd feel a whole hell of a lot better if you'd come back into the base and let someone check you out." Cid was honestly growing concerned over his father's state.

"I hate God damned doctors, you know that." He leaned forward in his seat. "I'm not gonna be some guinea pig."

Cid knew that it was like trying to talk to a brick wall. "So what, are you just goin' to sit in here all day then?"

The old man got up. "No, I'm goin' outside."

Cid followed his dad out onto the tarmac. Suddenly, the old man wavered and began to go down. Quickly, Cid stepped forward and caught his father in his arms.

"Dad!" He saw the ghastly color of Cid Sr.'s complexion.

The elder Highwind looked into his son's eyes. "Junior…"

Cid looked around, spotting some ASRIO agents close to the base entrance having a smoke break. "Hey! Someone go get some help!"

"It's okay, Junior…" His legs went out from beneath him completely and he pulled Cid to the ground with him.

"Dad!" Now Cid was panicking. Knowing that time was of the essence, he opted not to just wait for someone to get assistance. He hefted his father into his arms and started toward the base door. Cid kicked it open and went as quickly as he could to the infirmary, but it was completely empty.

He placed his father upon a bed. "Come on, Dad, hang in there. They'll get someone to help you real quick."

"No…" His world was starting to spin and there was a blackness encroaching upon the edge of his vision. "It's all right, Junior. I'll be with Joanna…"

Cid felt tears in his eyes. "No! Fight it!"

"Calm the fuck down, Junior." He produced a weak smile as the tightness in his chest continued to worsen. "Didn't expect me to live forever, did you?"

Cid reached over and hit the emergency button on the wall hard enough to break it, but an alarm began to blare nonetheless. "Where the fuck is everyone?'

"Junior…"

He looked down, seeing that the look in his father's eyes was beginning to grow distant. Not knowing what else to do, he reached down and embraced the old man. "Dad…"

There was no further response, and Cid Sr.'s body soon went completely limp. Cid didn't need to let go of his father and look upon him to know that the worst had happened-- he already knew. He began to cry, still holding onto his lifeless father, not particularly caring about such a display of emotion since there was no one in the room to see.

A few minutes later, Angel and Kyle both came running in. They spotted Cid and hurried over to him.

"What happened?" Angel asked, motioning for Kyle to retrieve the crash cart.

Cid let his father slide from his arms and he straightened up. "He just…"

Angel reached down and felt the old man's wrist-- there was no pulse. "Kyle! Hurry!"

The male nurse got the cart over and flipped on the defibrillator. He handed the electrodes over to Angel.

She locked gazes with Cid. "Step back, I'm going to shock him."

Cid shook his head and placed his hand upon his father's chest. "No."

"We might be able to--" Angel was desperate to do something, but Cid cut her off.

"It's too damn late, even I know that." Cid stared down. "He…he wouldn't want you to, anyway."

"Damn Janice for not being here!" Angel slammed the electrodes to the defibrillator unit back down where they belonged.

Since Cid had been sedated during all the drama of the morning, he had been unaware that Dr. Arlin was gone. "Where is she? Is that why it took fuckin' forever for someone to show up?"

"She quit, and in short, yes." Angel was livid and sick over what had just happened. "I'm really sorry, Cid."

He closed his eyes and sighed. "…it's not your fault."

Angel moved around to the side of the bed that Cid was standing at. She placed a hand upon his shoulder. "Do…do you want to be alone for a little while?"

Without opening his eyes, he replied. "Yeah…and go to my room and get Jin…"

"Okay." Angel waved at Kyle for him to leave as well and they departed the room.

Once alone, Cid let the tears come again. "God damn it, Dad…"

Cid was heartbroken. The irony of finally reconciling with his father after a lifetime of estrangement only to lose him this quickly to death hurt deeply. "I fuckin' wasted all these years… I'm sorry."

Jin came through the doors a short while later. "Cid?"

He glanced back over his shoulder, seeing her there. "Jin…"

Slowly, she went over to him. Cid placed his arm around her shoulders once she was at his side.

Jin looked at Cid Sr.'s body, feeling a sting in her eyes. "He…he just went? Just like that?"

Cid drew in a jagged breath as he tried to gather together some of his composure. "He wasn't feeling well all day, and then we were just outside and he went down. I brought him down here, but there wasn't anyone around to do anything. By the time Angel was able to show up, he was already gone. She wanted to try and resuscitate him, but I refused. I know he wouldn't have wanted that."

"I'm so sorry, Cid." Jin reached out and touched one of the dead man's hands. "At least you got to spend these last few days with him."

"Yeah. Makes me sort of wonder if somehow he knew." Cid thought about what his father had said just before they'd gotten out of the plane. "In fact, I know he knew."

Jin turned until she could take her husband into her arms. Seeing Cid cry was tearing her apart and she held him there like that for a long time.

No one dared to disturb them.

A/N-- Well, sorry, I feel like crap for ending this chapter like that…but it's late now and that's where I'm stopping for tonight. The beginning to this chapter was hopelessly mushy, and then I kill a guy. What a day's work…


	43. Chapter 43

I'm really sorry in the delay in updates on this story lately. I've been getting ready for Ani-Magic and have been finishing various costumes and what not. Really, really, sorry! Now, the convention has come and gone and things can settle back into…normalish?

Oh, and thanks, Ezzy, for reminding me about the scene breaks. I forget to replace the symbols I use in word with the dashes before uploading...bad self. Bad.

Anyway, enjoy.

Chapter 43

Jaras was sitting behind the counter in his bookstore, staring blankly at the ledgers before him. He'd come to the store that afternoon, as sitting around the house had grown annoying to him since he knew he had things to attend to at the store after being away.

Yet, his stomach was still unsettled, and he found focusing on the task at hand to be troublesome. He looked up when he heard the door open and instantly smiled as Aaron walked in, escorted by Jeanine. "Little brother…"

Aaron ran forward and around the counter. Jaras dropped to his knees as to be on the boy's level as they embraced. Jeanine kept her distance, knowing that the two brothers needed their space.

Jaras finally brought Aaron out to arm's length. "How are you?"

The boy had tears in his eyes. "As long as Mom and Dad work things out…I'll be all right. I'm just glad to be here with you."

"Well, I'm glad to have you." Jaras offered him a smile and stood back up. "Are you hungry?"

He simply nodded.

Jaras took his brother's hand and he looked over at Jeanine. "I'm going to go take him to that place he likes. Do you want to come along?"

Jeanine smiled and shook her head. "No, I'm fine. Besides, I think the two of you could use some time together."

"Okay." Jaras glanced down at Aaron. "Ready?"

"Yeah." Aaron grinned. He found himself finally able to relax.

-----------------------------------

Vincent and Tifa were sitting nestled together on the couch when a knock came to the door of their room. Sighing heavily, Vincent got up and went over to answer.

Upon opening the door, he saw that it was Cid, and moreover, he could see that the pilot had been crying. "What's wrong?"

"Uh, my dad just died."

Tifa heard this from where she was sitting and ran over, pushing past Vincent. "What? Are you serious?"

Cid nodded. "Yeah."

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry!" Tifa went forward and put her arms around him.

Cid closed his eyes momentarily during the embrace, but quickly stepped back from Tifa, since Jin was standing beside him. "It's okay…"

Vincent was at a loss for what to say at all, and just stood there with his mouth slightly agape.

Cid looked at the other man. "Close your mouth, Sue. You look like an idiot."

"But…he seemed fine. What happened?" Vincent forced himself to ask.

"Dunno." Cid shoved his hands into his pockets. "We were just walkin' along and he sorta keeled over. I got him to the infirmary, but within just a few minutes, it was over."

"I'm so sorry…" Tifa said again quietly, retreating back to Vincent's side. She had taken a liking to the man in the short time that she'd known him and was heartbroken.

"At least I got to be there," the pilot sighed, trying to comfort himself in some way.

Jin stepped closer to him and placed her arm around his waist. "And at least L.C. got to meet him."

"Yeah." Cid brought his bloodshot eyes up to meet Vincent's gaze. "So, uh, I was gonna head up into town with Jin here and go have a drink in the old man's honor… If you guys wanted to come along, that…" He choked up and dropped his stare to the floor.

"We'd love to, if it's all right with Jin," Tifa said quietly, knowing that the other woman wasn't well for her.

"It would mean a lot to Cid if you two came along," Jin replied, swallowing her pride this one time for her husband's sake.

Tifa suddenly became thoughtful. "Oh, but the baby… We can't really take a baby to a bar."

Cid suddenly realized the logic in this, and also that it would be a bad idea to take Vincent, a recovering alcoholic to such a place. "Well, we can just go take care of it in a regular restaurant, so the two of you can get something other than alcohol."

Tifa smiled and spun to go back and get Charlotte.

Vincent dropped his gaze to the ground, still feeling a little awkward in Cid's presence. His cybernetic left hand twitched at his side in his discomfort.

Cid couldn't help but stare. "It's workin' all right?"

Vincent knew what he was talking about even if not looking. "Yeah."

Tifa reappeared with the baby strapped into her carrier seat. "Let's go."

A few minutes later, they were walking from the base and toward town.

Vincent held the baby carrier in his left hand, and kept Tifa's within his right. They went along, lagging behind Cid and Jin a short distance.

"I can't believe he just died like that," Tifa said under her breath.

"He seemed healthy." Vincent shrugged. "He was up there in years, though, and he smoked just as much as Cid used to."

"Yeah." Tifa looked over at Vincent. "Cid seems pretty upset about it."

"As well he should, I suppose."

Tifa turned her eyes back to the couple walking ahead of them. "At least Jin came along to be with him through this."

Vincent couldn't help but express his approval of this, because he knew that if Cid's wife hadn't shown up, that the pilot would be using Tifa to get through this. "Yes."

-----------------------------------

Reno's phone went off and he answered. "Yeah?"

"It's Brad." The sound of the helicopter's rotors was blaring in the background. "I was just calling so you could tell Tifa and Vincent that I dropped Aaron off in Mideel safely."

"That's great, I'll tell them." Reno realized that he had to break the news to the chopper pilot. "Uh, Brad, I've got something to tell you."

"What's that?"

Reno swallowed hard. "A little while ago, damn it, your dad…he passed away."

Brad was silent for a moment. "Are you serious?"

"I'm afraid so." He leaned against the wall. "Cid was with him when it happened. I guess it was fast at least."

"Oh…" The pilot didn't know exactly what he was supposed to say upon getting this news, or even how he should honestly feel about the situation. He'd spent most of his life thinking that when he got word of the elder Highwind's death that it wouldn't faze him that much. That wasn't turning out to be the case since they'd spent some time together at Cid's beside. "Okay."

"I'm sorry." With that, Reno hung up, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable. He went to Tifa and Vincent's room to try and tell them that Aaron had arrived at Jaras' safely, but found that they were gone. "Crap."

He stood there before their room, debating over what to do.

"Reno."

The ASRIO leader spun quickly, spotting Tseng standing behind him. Not accustomed to seeing his dead friend just out and about, Reno couldn't help but jump back a short distance. "Oh fuck! What are you doing out here?"

Tseng smiled faintly and took a step closer. "Nothing much."

Reno just froze in place for a few seconds, wondering how weird it would look if someone saw him standing here talking to himself. He didn't suppose that anyone else would be able to see Tseng. However, something immediately came to mind. "So, you aren't just a figment of my imagination."

"I'm not?" Tseng asked, levity in his voice.

"You knew that Vincent and Cid were sorta related, or that we're all part of the same extended family, anyway." Reno crossed his arms over his chest. "I never would've thought that possible, but you called it."

"The benefits of being dead, I guess." Tseng laughed to himself.

"So, uh, is there something you need to tell me?" Reno asked, not supposing that he was seeing his dead comrade merely on a social level.

"Just letting you know that I'll be around when you need me, or when your men do." With that, Tseng vanished when Reno dared to blink.

Reno jumped a second time when the phone in his pocket went off once more. "What?"

"I have an idea." Rude was sitting on the couch in his small apartment.

"Shoot." Reno smiled, finally feeling like things might be heading down the right track.

"If I don't have to worry about working for Shinra anymore, and your guys need into that lab in a nice calm way so they can get what they need to get, then I say fuck it and I'll take them in personally." Rude pulled his sunglasses off and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Are you fuckin' serious?" Reno's eye went wide. "You'd do that?"

"Sure." Rude grinned, enjoying Reno's disbelief. "It'll be no big deal. I meet your guys in Junon, escort them into the lab, order everyone who might be in there to bail, and let them get to work. Once that's done, I lead them out and we all come home to your base. Easy."

"I'm not going gay on you or anything, but damn it, I love you." Reno was ecstatic.

"Your wife said the same thing to me a while back. Up for a three way?" Rude shot back jokingly.

"Perv," Reno laughed. "It's gonna be real good to have you here. When do you want to do this thing?"

"Well, I have to go with the president to Gongaga tomorrow, but I can skip out after that and get to Junon."

Reno nodded, thinking. "Okay, know where the Mayfield hotel is?"

"Yup."

"Good, go hang out there, and I'll make sure that my guys meet you in the lobby there by two in the afternoon, day after tomorrow. Sound like a plan?" he asked.

Rude was onboard with this. It was going to be the most exciting thing that he'd been a part of in years. "Right. I'll meet them then."

Reno flipped his phone closed as Rude hung up without any further pleasantries as per his norm. "This is gonna be cool."

Obscured in the shadows and hidden mostly by a corner, Porter watched the past several minutes of Reno's activity with concern. The phone call that Reno had just made wasn't bothering him, but his previous episode of talking to himself like there had been someone standing nearby had worried the former Turk. He wondered if there might be more wrong with Reno than anyone suspected. Silently, he retreated back down the hall the other way, debating if he should discuss this with anyone.

-----------------------------------

Cid picked up his shot glass of tequila from the table and lifted it up. "To the old man… I guess I'll miss him."

All the others raised their drinks in response. Vincent took a sip of his iced tea and looked over at Cid. "I know this is probably a bad time, but I have a question to ask you."

The pilot downed his drink in one swallow, and locked gazes with the other man as he set his emptied glass back upon the table. "What's that, Sue?"

Vincent felt horribly self-conscious, but knew it had to be done. "I…I am going to marry Tifa again, and I was hoping that perhaps the two of you could be our witnesses. I know it might be a little inappropriate in light of all that has happened, but…"

"Marry her again? Did you do some foolish damn thing like divorce her while you were hidin'?" Cid crossed his arms over his chest, switching his gaze between Tifa and Vincent.

Vincent turned red and dropped his gaze to the table before him. "No, I did no such thing. It's just that…I feel that we need a completely new start, and this is the best way I know."

Inwardly, Cid was pleased to hear this. He'd been afraid that Vincent and Tifa might give up on trying to save their relationship. Since he himself was now married to Jin, he had no problem in seeing Tifa reconcile with Vincent. Of course, in his heart he knew that if Jin hadn't come back to him that he wouldn't have been happy with this news at all. However, things seemed to be getting back to something resembling normal. "Sure, we'll do it, won't we, Jin?"

She nodded eagerly. Getting some sort of confirmation that Vincent and Tifa did still want to be together would set the mechanic's mind at ease. "Yeah, we'll do it."

"Thank you." Vincent was still embarrassed by the whole thing, but felt a little better about it when Tifa placed her hand upon his leg beneath the table.

-----------------------------------

Brandon was sitting in his clinic in Mideel, writing up the chart to the last patient he'd seen when he heard someone walk through the door. He'd sent both his receptionist and nurse home for the day as it had been slow, and he wondered who it was. Brandon stood up and looked into the reception area of the clinic and his eyes went wide. "Janice?"

She looked over at him, her eyes red and teary. "Brandon…"

He was in shock. Brandon hadn't seen her in the flesh in over a year as her job kept her busy and unable to come out for casual visits. Still, they had maintained their relationship over the years through their nightly phone conversations. "What…what are you doing here?"

"I quit." She came over toward him as he stepped out from behind the reception desk.

They embraced for several minutes before he brought her out to arm's length. "What do you mean you quit?"

"I mean I quit. I left ASRIO and I didn't know where else to go…" Dr. Arlin wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

While he had been aware of her stress in the base over the last few months, he never would have imagined her leaving. "I can't believe you would do that, Janice."

"I know…but, it's just too much anymore." She moved away from him and then went and sat in one of the waiting room chairs.

"What happened?" Brandon took up the chair next to hers, and took hold of one of her hands.

"That little prick Reno tried to drill me a new one early this morning and I snapped. I left after that." She sighed heavily.

"You left because he yelled at you?" Brandon asked.

"Not really, it just seemed as good an excuse to cut and run as I was going to get." Janice sank back into her chair, her exhaustion getting the better of her. "I'm tired, I've been burned out for a long time…I had to leave."

"Janice, what's really going on? I know you better than that. I mean, you were there for close to fifteen years. You wouldn't just leave because you were burned out. We all get that way in this field every once in a while." He tightened the grip he had on her hand.

"Yeah, we all do, but I'm working in basically a military type situation. I see young men dying constantly, not just the old and sick. It's taken it's toll on me, and I've poured so much of my energy and time into it that…well, I've basically thrown my entire life away to work for the ASRIO cause. Maybe I'm becoming selfish, but I want something for me now. For instance, you and I have been together for ages, but we could probably count all the times we've actually been face to face with our fingers." Janice ran a hand through her hair. "I haven't had any sort of a life since joining ASRIO, Brandon, and I want one."

The fact that she would come to him was touching. "Well, you know you're welcome to stay with me as long as you like. Hell, stay here forever if you want."

Janice offered him a weak smile. "I just might."

-----------------------------------

Angel was sitting at Dr. Arlin's desk in the infirmary, doing her best to keep things going in the absence of the doctor. She had already administered some first aid to a few that had been injured around the base, and although she was more than capable of handling most things just fine on her own, not having Janice to fall back on was making her a nervous wreck. She was so absorbed in what she was doing that she didn't hear Porter enter or notice him sit in one of the chairs before her.

"Angel?"

Startled, she dropped the pen she'd been holding and came to attention. "Oh, God, Porter? What's up?"

He immediately looked uncomfortable and folded his hands upon his lap. "I think we need to talk about Reno."

"Why?" Angel rested her arms upon the desk and met Porter's stare.

"I was walking down the hall, and I caught him talking to himself." He was ashamed for having watched in secret, but what was done was done.

Angel smiled. "Reno talks to himself constantly. He always has."

"I know, but this was different." Porter shrugged. "He wasn't just ranting to himself like he does, he was honestly acting as though he was speaking with someone else. Even pausing for their replies. I don't know, I just got the weirdest feeling…"

She considered this for a moment. "He's been under a lot of stress."

"Yeah, but Angel, this was creepy." Porter hung his head. "Maybe there isn't anything to it, but I just had to throw it out there. I know he got a pass from that doctor about his mental functions, but I think we need to keep a close eye on him."

Angel outright laughed. "Well, I live with him, so I think that's about as close as we can get."

Porter smiled. "True."

"I'll let you know if I notice anything strange. I don't mean to be rude, but I need to finish getting stuff here organized for when Doctor Ritchie arrives." She motioned toward all of the papers spread out before her.

Porter got up, nodding. "All right. When's he getting here?"

"In about half an hour." Angel leaned back in her seat. "I wonder where Janice is?"

"I haven't a clue." Porter moved toward the door. "I'll see you around."

-----------------------------------

Brad arrived back at the base and didn't bother with his usual post flight work on the helicopter. Instead, he just left it on the airfield, not even going to the trouble of putting her back in the hanger.

He walked toward the base and went down inside. The chopper pilot went straight to Cid's room and knocked.

Cid answered shortly thereafter. Faced with his brother, he didn't say a thing, simply stepping forward and taking Brad into his arms.

They remained that way for several minutes until Brad finally stepped back. He wiped his eyes and met Cid's gaze. "I'm really sorry that I wasn't here."

"You had orders, it's not your fault." Cid was fighting a sting in his own eyes. "At least he didn't have to lay around and suffer for weeks or months."

"Go figure, with as poorly as he always took care of himself that he'd even make it this long," Brad sighed, getting his composure back together.

"Yeah," Cid replied, shoving his hands down into his pockets. "I guess we're just lucky to have gotten to see him and work things out between all of us."

"True." Brad dropped his gaze to the floor. "Look, I feel a little bad, though, about never mentioning to you about us being brothers. Like I said, I just didn't want to associate you with him."

"I understand." Cid smiled faintly. "Even so, I always sorta wondered. I mean, I knew I had a brother, and I figured that he would probably be somethin' like me, and you were about as much like me as anyone."

Brad laughed to himself. "I suppose I am." He looked past Cid and into the room, spotting Jin lying on the bed. "So, how are things between you and Jingles?"

Cid looked over his shoulder for a moment at his sleeping wife. "Good, things have been good. She's been one hell of a sport, considerin' all that I've pulled off over the last year. And I never thanked you for sending her my way again."

"I had to. I don't mean to piss you off or anything, but the whole idea of you and Tifa…that just bothered the hell out of me." The chopper pilot ran a hand through his hair. "What in the fuck were you thinking?"

Cid stepped out into the hall and shut the room door, not really wishing Jin to hear any of this if she awoke. "I'd just…had feelings for Tifa all along and the thought of her being alone after Vincent was supposedly dead with a new baby…"

"Yeah, but that doesn't explain why you were fucking around with her before that." Brad crossed his arms over his chest.

"It only happened once before that, guy." Cid's eyes narrowed. "And it wasn't somethin' that I was particularly proud of. As it turns out, she and I…well, when it gets right down to it, we never would've lasted as a couple very long, whether or not Vincent had been alive. Make me fall in love with my best friend, but make us incompatible as a couple. Joke of the fuckin' Universe."

"But don't you love Jin?" Brad let his arms fall back to his sides, seeing how much Cid was still in pain over the whole chain of events.

"I love Jin, yes. I have since I hooked up with her years ago, but I've still always had a thing for Tifa. Jin and I actually get along, though." Cid smiled to himself.

Brad shook his head. He was aware of how turbulent Cid and Jin's relationship had been at times. "If what you and Jin have going on can be called getting along, I'd hate to see what it was like between you and Tifa."

"Yeah, but see, when Jin gets pissed, she gets it out and lets me know. She doesn't just sit and brood, and she doesn't let the past eat away at her constantly. That's Tifa's flaw. She's just as sulky and inwardly depressed as Sunshine is, and I can't deal with that shit on a daily basis." Cid leaned back against the wall. "Doesn't matter anymore, anyway. It looks like Tifa and Sue are gonna honestly give reconciliation a shot and to be honest with you, I hope it works out, for the kids if nothing else."

"That's good." Brad couldn't honestly relate. Once he'd met Lilly, he'd never looked back and he and his wife had never even had a serious fight in all the years of their marriage. Then again, he wasn't always on the verge of flying off the handle like his brother, and he tended to be a little more easy going all around. "Well, I'm going to head home for the night, I just wanted to stop by and make sure that you were doing all right."

"I am." Cid met Brad's gaze as he straightened back up. "By the way, I'm having the old man cremated and I was thinking that I'd take him up in his plane and then let his ashes go up in the sky. I…I want you to come along with me."

Brad looked thoughtful. This was far more sentimental than he was used to seeing Cid. "I think he would have liked that. Just let me know when and I'll be there."

"Okay." Cid turned his back to the other man and went to go into his room, hiding the tears that had finally managed through. "Bye."

"Bye." Brad watched as he closed the door and then strolled away. Getting home to Lilly was foremost on his mind. He thanked God under his breath as he went that his life had turned out like it had.

-----------------------------------

Tifa and Vincent were sitting on their couch, watching television. Charlotte was sleeping in her crib, leaving them in peace for the time being.

Actually, to say they were watching television wouldn't be exactly correct. While Vincent was staring in the general direction of it, his mind was elsewhere, wandering blankly about that past few weeks and all that had happened. He was also distracted by the constant low drone of the mechanical heart he now possessed.

Tifa, in the meanwhile, paid no attention to the television at all. She was nestled into Vincent's side, staring up at him. Part of her knew that she was incredibly lucky that he had returned. After a time, she couldn't help but ask. "Vincent, what were you planning on doing when you left?"

He didn't respond immediately, as he had to think about her words for a moment. "After I was removed from the lab?"

"Yeah," she said quietly.

Vincent looked down into her eyes and knit his brow. "I was going to break a promise to you."

She sat back a little and considered him. "What promise was that?"

He sighed heavily and looked away from her. "My honest intent was to just to vanish once and for all. I intended to die."

Although she had suspected such a thing, it hurt to hear him say it. When she had finally been reunited with him not so long ago, it had been obvious that he'd suffered some self-induced torture. He was still thinner than he had been in years and hadn't yet recuperated completely. "How so?"

"Since Chaos wouldn't allow me to outright kill myself by putting a bullet in my brain, I went off somewhere isolated where I could starve myself to death without the worry of anyone finding me." Vincent finally looked into her eyes again. "However, as is so often the case in my life, Cid decided to interfere with that plan."

"Well, thank God for his dumb luck on stumbling upon you, Vincent." Tifa put her arms around him and held him tight. "The both of you going off to kill yourselves at the same time and then ending up saving each other…"

Vincent didn't particularly feel like keeping up this line of discussion and so turned his eyes back toward the television.

Tifa could see him retreating back into himself and knew not to push him, although he seemed to be lacking the desire to fight on any level. She thought about it for a moment, and then remembered how unemotional he'd been after going through his initial rounds of anti-Chaos treatments several years back. He had claimed then that losing Chaos had left him feeling empty, and she wondered if that's what he was feeling now. "Vincent?"

He glanced at her again, his face betraying no emotion. Silently, he anticipated her question.

"How are you feeling?"

Vincent tensed his jaw for a moment, as the contemplated his response. His red eyes displayed something once he looked at her. "Relieved to be with you. Disappointed to have this," he said, lifting his left arm slightly. "Other than that, I'm just… I don't know. Chaos is silent. My mind is quieter than I've gotten used to it being. It's just unusual."

Tifa reached up and touched the side of his face. "But are you okay? I mean, are you _really_ okay?"

"I swore to you that there would be no more secrets between us, Tifa. If there was something bothering me right now, I would tell you." He figured he knew what was on her mind. "Remember, Chaos made me more excitable, emotional, or whatever than I tend to naturally be. I think we had this discussion some years ago."

"I know, that's what I was thinking." Tifa pushed a few stray strands of his hair back.

"I love you, Tifa. Don't think that just because I'm not saying much that something's wrong. I'm content." He offered her a faint smile, but it was genuine. "After all the fighting and yelling that I've put you through over the course of our marriage, I would think that you would welcome some peace."

She couldn't help but laugh a little at this. "I guess. I'm just having to get used to the old Vincent again."

"I know." Vincent stood up and then turned toward her. "But…if I'm not mistaken, it was the 'old Vincent' that you initially fell in love with, correct?"

Tifa moved to get up from the couch as well, and took his hands into her own. "Yes, it was. Like I've said, I missed you."

Vincent leaned forward and kissed her.

They were interrupted shortly thereafter by a knock at the door.

Vincent pulled away from Tifa, clearly annoyed, and went to answer. When he saw that it was Reno, he wondered what was going on.

Reno pushed his way past Vincent and stepped inside. He walked right over to the baby's crib and looked in, seeing that Charlotte was asleep. Nodding in approval, he turned to face Tifa. "She seems to be doing all right, huh?"

Tifa nodded in response. "Yeah, she's been an easy baby so far."

"Cool…hope my next one is, too. Dana was…busy." Reno went over and sat on the edge of the bed. "So, hey, I wanted to talk to you guys."

"What's up?" Tifa asked, going and sitting next to him. She was still finding it hard to look at him since being shot without staring.

Reno kept his gaze trained on the floor before him. "I talked to Rude, we're going in to get the real cure for cancer from the lab. That cure can be manipulated to get Chaos out of you, Aaron, and whatever in the hell is in Cid, or so we've been led to believe. So, I just wanted to let you guys know that. My guys are going in day after tomorrow."

Vincent, on instinct, spoke before he truly contemplated the situation. "I'm going."

Tifa's eyes went wide and she slowly turned toward him. Without a word, she reached out, grabbed his right arm in a painfully tight grip and pulled him mercilessly out of the room and into the hall. Once out of the room and no longer in danger of waking the baby, Tifa unloaded. "Pardon the fuck out of me, but did you just say you were going?"

Vincent realized his mistake. "I was just…"

"You were just nothing! This is how all of this shit started!" Tifa thought about how bad an idea it was to be screaming at him, but this was something she wasn't going to let slide and there was no way she was tolerating him doing this. "Vincent, you can't do that sort of thing anymore! Get it through your fucking head! You have a family and obligations to them!"

"I realize that, and that's why I'm going. I need to see to it that we get that cure so that Aaron can be helped." Vincent kept his tone calm, knowing better than to raise his voice.

"No, your obligation is to be alive and around for them. Let Reno's men take care of it. That's always been one of my beefs with you, Vincent! You need to trust others to handle things for you." Tifa felt her anger wane a bit when she saw the look on his face turn to one of absolute dejection.

Vincent averted his stare from her and his shoulders slumped. "Trust others…"

Tifa sighed and moved closer to him. "Please, Vincent, just let them handle this. It's their job. It would be far worse for Aaron to be without you than to have you and just undergo some injections every few years."

Vincent held his tongue and thought for a moment. "You're right."

Tifa stepped a little closer, but didn't say anything.

"You're right… and I have no business going. As much as I hate to admit it, I'm not in any shape to go, nor should I." Vincent closed his eyes, the shame of admitting a weakness washing over him.

"Besides," Reno said, having opened the door and stepped out behind them without their notice, "I wouldn't have let you go anyway. Not after all the fuckin' trouble we've gone through to bail your ass out of that lab more than once."

Vincent hung his head and then went back into the room. He went toward the couch and landed upon it. Reno and Tifa also came back into the room. Tifa sat at Vincent's side, putting an arm around his shoulders.

Reno sat back on the edge of the bed, facing them. "So, as I was saying before your little hissy fit, we're going in to get it day after tomorrow. The team is going to consist of Porter, Quigley, Kimo, and Ericson."

Vincent cocked an eyebrow and looked at his son-in-law. "You're refusing to let me go, but you're sending Quigley in?"

Reno raised his hands. "Yeah, but I'm not sending him in because I want to. He's going because he's the only one who'll know what to look for in the ways of the cure in the computer system. Rude's gonna get them in, take them up, they'll get the info and bail. It should be pretty straight forward. Wanna know that best part, though?"

"What's that?" Tifa asked, humoring him.

"Rude's leaving Shinra after that and coming here. Isn't that cool?" Reno's excitement over this prospect was obvious, however, it didn't have much of an impact upon Tifa and Vincent. He looked at them and then got up from the couch. "Well, I'm pretty razzed about it, anyway. I'm headin' home for the night, I'll see you two in the morning or something."

"Bye, Reno," Tifa said after him as he let himself out.

Vincent continued to sit in silence after they were alone again.

Tifa looked up at him. "Vincent?"

"It's all right. I just have to let go of my pride a little." He shrugged weakly. "I'm not mad, I'm just disappointed, but I know I have absolutely no right to go in there."

"Okay. Are you ready for bed yet?" Tifa asked, already moving to get up.

He offered her a smile and then stood. "Yeah."


	44. Chapter 44

Chapter 44

Frankie Ritchie, M.D. was an older man, in his early sixties, yet still active and full of life. His bright red hair had never grayed, and rivaled even Reno's in intensity of color. The doctor's steel blue eyes sparkled, reflecting the amused smile that was always upon his lips.

However, that smile was missing this morning. He'd arrived at the ASRIO base the night before, and had begun to muddle through things as they had been left. Janice's style of so-called organization he found dismal and his first task had been to get all of the various files that had been left scattered around her office put in their proper places. Now, at five the next morning, he found himself elbow deep in the entrails of a man that had been dead and in the freezer for nearly a day. Although autopsies were something that came with the territory of his job, it wasn't his favorite thing to do, and surely not this early in the morning.

He looked up from the task at hand when he heard someone enter the surgery suite. "Reno, it's a little early for you to be out and about isn't it?"

"Well, I heard that my favorite doc was finally in, so I decided to rattle your cage," Reno replied. The truth was that he hadn't yet gone to bed from the day before as he was trying to get things set for the mission coming up.

"Favorite doctor, yeah right," Frankie chuckled back, preparing to close up the body before him. He immediately saw the change in Reno's appearance, but made no comment about it. Angel had told him the story the night before, and he didn't wish to make Reno self conscious about it.

Reno looked a little disgusted when he bothered to look at what the doctor was doing, but quickly brought his gaze back up and away from the dead man. "So, uh, any verdict on this guy?"

Frankie nodded. "Actually, yeah. Poor old fella had two cards played against him. He suffered a minor myocardial infarction shortly before death, but what killed him was a pulmonary embolism."

"Huh?" Reno crossed his arms over his chest.

"He had a small heart attack, but that didn't kill him. There was a massive blood clot in his lungs, and that did him in. He probably had trouble breathing prior to death, but since he was clearly a chain smoker for most of his life, I'm guessing he didn't read to much into it." Frankie shook his head sadly.

"If there had been a doctor on hand when he'd gone down, could he have been saved?" Reno asked, needing to know if he was responsible in some small way because he'd driven Janice off.

Dr. Ritchie shrugged. "By the time he went down, it was pretty much too late. If he'd sought help when he'd first started feeling something, and I'm guessing that he didn't feel too great for at least a few hours prior to this, yeah, he might have been helped. Once that blood clot was lodged where it was, there would have been little that could have been done. This condition kills a lot of people out of the blue. At least it's relatively fast."

"That sucks." Reno shoved his hands into his pockets.

"Indeed it does." Frankie looked up at the ASRIO leader. "I've just got to get him closed up and then he's going to be cremated, right?"

"That's what I heard," Reno said quietly.

"Good enough." Frankie continued to look at the other man. "Just so you know, I can stay here as long as you need. I closed down my own practice two months ago so I have no other obligations. Retirement was proving to be boring anyway."

"I really appreciate that, Frankie." Reno smiled. "I really don't know if Janice is coming back."

Familiar with the woman in question, Frankie didn't dare speculate. "She can be moody. Maybe the bee in her bonnet will settle down later."

"Maybe."

"If not, like I said, I can help out as long as needed." He turned his attention back to getting the elder Highwind's body readied.

-----------------------------------

Jaras awoke and looked around. He'd fallen asleep on the couch the night before, having sat up late talking with his little brother. Aaron was still asleep, nestled into his side, apparently comfortable.

Jeanine was up and about, and she was sitting in a chair close by, reading a novel. Upon seeing Jaras stir, she looked over at him. "Hey."

He offered his wife a broad smile, seeing that she looked like she was feeling better than she had been in previous days. "Hey yourself."

"I heard you two talking out here pretty late."

Jaras nodded, stroking his sleeping brother's hair gently. "Yeah, we were. He's been through a lot lately, and he needed to vent and get it all out."

"Is he going to be all right?" she asked quietly.

Jaras carefully moved from the couch, managing to get up without waking Aaron and laying him down comfortably. He then motioned for his wife to follow him out into the kitchen so they could talk without disturbing the boy. Jaras leaned against the counter as Jeanine got to making some coffee.

He watched her moving about. "I think he'll be all right when all's said and done, assuming that Tifa and my father work everything out. He was put through Hell."

"I feel so bad for him. At least he has you to fall back on. I think you've always been Aaron's favorite person in the world," Jeanine said back with a smile.

Jaras knit his brow and frowned. "Well, he told me that if things don't work out between his mother and our father…that he doesn't want to go home at all."

Jeanine's eyes went wide. "Oh, uh, really?"

"I know, you probably wouldn't be all right with him living with us permanently, and I don't think that Tifa or Dad would let him do that, but… I don't know. I just don't think it's fair for him to be tossed around." He dropped his gaze away from her.

"Well, I guess we'll just have to see what happens." Jeanine offered him a smile.

-----------------------------------

Cid was awakened by a pounding on his room door. He looked over seeing that Jin had no intention of getting up and answering, and so slid out of bed, pulled on his boxers and opened the door.

Quigley was standing there with Angel. The researcher held up a loaded syringe. "It's time for your treatment."

Cid scowled. "You had to wake me up for that? Couldn't maybe wait a little while?"

Quigley shook his head. "No, we prefer not to take any risks with you. Whatever you turned into was pretty bad and…well, you were able to beat down Chaos and that makes you about the most dangerous thing I can think of."

"Damn it." Cid ran his hands over his face, trying to lose the last of his tiredness. "You want me to go with you guys to the infirmary for this or what?"

"That would probably be a good idea," Angel said.

"Okay, fine." Cid looked back over his shoulder. "I'm hopin' that you'll at least let me get dressed first."

"I think we can allow that," Angel said, nudging Quigley in the side as she did so.

"Fine." With that, Cid closed the door and got to the task of putting his clothes on. A few minutes later, he emerged out into the hall, finding Quigley and Angel still waiting for him. He went with them to the infirmary, but as they tried to enter, some men pushing a gurney with an occupied body bag upon it emerged, forcing them all to stand aside.

Cid watched it pass by silently, knowing in his heart that it was his father. Angel knew this, too, and saw Cid's expression fall upon his realization. Not knowing what else to do, she reached out and took the pilot's hand into her own.

Cid didn't mind, actually appreciating the gesture and he held her hand tight as his father's body was carried out of view. Once the way was clear, he let go of Angel and went forward into the infirmary.

Dr. Ritchie, having spent the better part of the morning working on Cid's father, was startled when the doors to the infirmary opened and Cid walked in. "Oh dear God!"

Cid knit his brow and stared at the new doctor, who was looking back at him agape. "What?"

"N…nothing." Frankie shrugged it off, realizing that he wasn't actually being faced with a ghost once Angel and Quigley followed the man in.

Angel saw the look that the doctor was wearing and knew what was up. "Dr. Ritchie, this is Cid Highwind _Junior_."

"Oh…okay." He seemed to relax and came over, extending his hand. "I'm Dr. Ritchie, but most people just call me Frankie."

Cid smiled politely and accepted the handshake. "Hey."

Quigley stepped forward. "We need to give him an injection and there's a possibility that it might give him a seizure, so we thought it best to do it in here."

The doctor nodded knowingly and motioned toward a vacant bed. "Well, you seem to have things under control. Do what you need to, and I'll be in my office writing some things up if you need me."

Cid went over and landed heavily on the indicated bed, glaring at the researcher. "Every fuckin' day?"

"I'm sorry, but we don't really have a choice." Quigley stepped closer, pulling the syringe and a tourniquet forth.

Angel went over to a cabinet and got out some medication to combat any seizure that Cid might suffer. "Like Vincent, though, each successive injection should have less of an impact on you."

Cid didn't much care about that. The truth of it was that he was just unhappy with the notion of the needle about to go into his arm. Deep down inside, he was slightly phobic about such things, but would never be up to admitting it to anyone.

Quigley took Cid's left arm and got the tourniquet cinched down around it. That done, he found the pilot's vein and slid the needle beneath his skin.

Cid didn't even wince as this happened, focusing as best he was able on what Angel was doing a short way off. Suddenly, his head began to swim and he felt a cold sweat break upon his skin. Without warning, he collapsed over onto his side upon the bed, momentarily losing consciousness.

Quigley looked back over his shoulder at Angel. "He passed out."

Angel had noticed the color leaving Cid's face before the needle had even been put into his arm and couldn't help but smile. "I don't think it has anything to do with the drug." She came forward and checked the unconscious man's pulse, and found it to be completely normal.

Quigley helped her lay Cid out on the bed properly, and within just a few seconds, Cid's eyes flew back open.

He tried to sit up, embarrassed, but Angel held him down. "You need to just lay there for a few minutes, otherwise you're going to just hit the floor."

"Damn it…" Cid crossed his arms over his chest, disregarding the discomfort this act caused him thanks to the small bandage the Quigley had placed over the injection site.

"I never would have imagined you to have been the type to lose it from something like that," Angel said to him jokingly, enjoying herself perhaps a little too much.

"Never used to until I had to get those needle biopsies taken because of the cancer a few weeks back. That hurt like hell and messed me all up." Cid's tone was more of a growl, as his shame washed over him.

"If you want, tomorrow we can put an I.V. catheter back in your arm and then you wouldn't have to go through an actual needle stick every time," she offered.

"Hell no." Cid wasn't in the mood to comply with anything. Mostly, he just wanted to get out of the infirmary.

-----------------------------------

Vincent sat in the base's cafeteria with Tifa on the opposite side of the table from him. He ate in silence, going over various things in his mind.

Tifa was growing anxious in his silence and lack of expression and finally cracked. "Vincent?"

He met her gaze.

"What are you thinking about?" Tifa set down her fork and rested her elbows upon the table.

"Nothing."

Tifa smiled and shook her head. "You're lying."

Vincent averted his gaze from her. "I am."

"So? What are you thinking about?" Tifa asked again.

He sighed and pushed back his plate. "The mission. If they really are going to find something that can fix Aaron and I."

"And Cid," Tifa added, feeling a little awkward for doing so when Vincent's left eye twitched slightly upon hearing the pilot's name.

"Yes, and Cid." Vincent frowned briefly. "If they can, great, but if it proves to be a trick again… I just can't stand not knowing. I want to go and get it myself and to get this all over with."

"Vincent, you agreed last night that you weren't going," Tifa said gently, reaching across the table and covering his right hand with hers.

He scowled and looked at the table. "I know."

Tifa hung her head and sighed. She knew he was going to be absolutely miserable until the mission team returned with the formulation for the cure. There was nothing she could do about it, though, and realized that she was just going to have to tolerate his mood for the next day.

Charlotte began to cry in her infant seat next to where Vincent was sitting and he turned and picked up the baby. He held her close for a moment, but knew that he couldn't take care of her present need. His crimson eyes met Tifa's. "She's hungry."

Tifa extended her arms over the table and took the infant. "Hand me the blanket out of her seat."

Vincent did as ordered and watched as Tifa draped the blanket over her shoulder and covered the baby with it. He didn't understand how she could be dexterous enough to get things situated with one hand and manage to feed the baby without exposing anything. "You make that look easy."

She laughed to herself as they baby's needs were met and her crying stopped. "Well, I did it for a year with Aaron, I guess practice makes perfect."

Vincent just shook his head a little and then scanned the room around them. "I wonder what Aaron's doing?"

"He's probably up already, you could call." Tifa offered a faint smile.

"My phone is under several inches of snow up in the mountains at the moment." Vincent remembered Cid dropping it next to his plane.

"Oh…" Tifa had known this, but it had slipped her mind. "Right."

"I can pick up a new one in town." Vincent leaned back. "It was getting old anyway."

Tifa knew that he was just trying to distract himself from thoughts about the mission. "Vincent, you said yesterday that you wanted us to just go home."

"I intend for us to do so yet." He looked into her eyes again. "We will stay until after the mission. That way they can give me a second dose of the anti-Chaos drug tomorrow and then I can just finish off with the last injections myself."

Tifa raised her eyebrows. "It's going to be awfully quiet at the house without Aaron."

Vincent made an odd expression and smirked. "It's awfully quiet around the house with him there, too."

Tifa outright laughed. "Yeah, I know. I just miss him."

"Well, once things are looking like they are going to level out, he'll come home. He needs this break from us." Vincent dropped his gaze away.

"I feel so bad. What I put that boy through…I should be shot." Her shame welled up, bringing tears to her eyes.

Vincent met her stare again. "Tifa, no one person bears the blame. There's no use hurting yourself now over the past. I've learned at least that much in my years. All we can do is make the effort to have a better outlook from here forward. And like I told Cid at the beginning of this whole deal, I don't make a habit of shooting people that I'm attached to."

Tifa couldn't suppress her need to laugh at his halfhearted joke. "That's good to know."

"Actually, I shouldn't have said that. It was a little off color in light of what I did to Reno." Vincent's expression turned dark.

Tifa shook her head. "See? You already forgot what you just said to me. Don't let the past eat at you."

Vincent nodded. "I know. I just wish there were some way for me to make it up to him. I never would have pegged him for the type of person to forgive someone for doing something like that, but he did."

"You'd be surprised, Vincent." Tifa smiled faintly. "Reno fought for you like you'd not believe. He was pulling for you all along."

"I don't understand him. I never will, but I do appreciate him." Vincent's mouth pulled up into what would have to pass as a grin.

"Don't look like it physically hurts you to say that, Vincent," Tifa said with levity.

He laughed quietly at that and hung his head. Vincent was then startled when he felt someone's hand upon his shoulder and he looked up.

"Hey, Sue." Cid let go of him and sat to his left. "What're you guys up to this morning?"

"Where's Jin?" Tifa asked, curious.

"Still sleepin'. Doesn't like to get up early most of the time." Cid crossed his arms over his chest. "I had to get another fuckin' shot and so Angel and Quig pulled me out of bed bright and early."

"And how did you handle that?" Vincent asked, making the effort to be civil.

Cid felt his cheeks go red and he looked away, opting to lie. "Just super. So, what are you two plannin' for today?"

Vincent shrugged. "I need a new phone…"

Cid nodded knowingly. "Right, I guess it's still up there with my plane, huh?"

"Yes."

"Well, I'll pay for it, since I'm the one who dropped it in the snow," Cid offered seriously.

"I was about to tear you apart, I think you had good reason to drop it." Vincent almost smiled.

"Well, yeah, that's true." Cid also grinned.

Tifa sat, watching the two men interacting, realizing that somehow, they had managed to work things out between them.

Vincent and Cid both turned their eyes to her, seeing the strange expression that she wore. In unison, they asked, "What?"

Tifa shook her head and allowed a smile to come to her lips. "Nothing."

Cid nudged Vincent in the side. "I think she's laughin' at us, Sue."

"I do believe you are correct." Vincent narrowed his eyes.

"I'd just get up and leave right now, but the baby's plugged in," Tifa huffed back, feigning anger.

"Come on, Sunshine." Cid stood up. "Let's leave her to stew for a while."

Vincent cocked an eyebrow and got up as well. "Fine."

Tifa's eyes went wide. "Vincent, you're not honestly going to go out with Cid, right?"

His red eyes switched over to the pilot for a second before turning to Tifa again. "You've complained in the past that Cid and I don't do enough together. Surely you're not now criticizing me for doing so?"

Tifa was at a loss for words. The two men before her would never cease to amaze her. She watched as Vincent picked his cloak up off the back of his chair, threw it around his shoulders and then walked off with the pilot, leaving her alone.

Cid shoved his hands down into his pockets as he left the cafeteria with Vincent. "So, what is it we're doin'?"

"I thought you had a plan," Vincent said back quietly.

"Naw, I was just fuckin' with her." Cid's expression fell and he stopped walking, turning to Vincent. "I'm sorry, bad choice of words."

Vincent shrugged it off and started walking again. "And just for that, I _will_ let you buy me that new phone."

"Fair enough." Cid let himself smile and followed.

They exited the base and went into town. Vincent located a store that catered to his cell carrier and entered, the pilot going along with him. After going up to the counter and explaining to the salesman that his last phone had been lost and giving over his account information, Vincent was shown the various phones that he could replace his old one with. Just for the sake of doing so, he opted to take the most expensive one that he was shown. It's not that he cared that it took pictures, sent text messages, shot up to ten minutes of video, or had over fifty different games on it-- rather, he was just wanting to make it as painful for the pilot's wallet as possible. Eventually, they left the store, Vincent with a new phone in his pocket, and Cid's pocket two hundred and fifty gil lighter. The pilot wasn't pleased, but held his tongue. After all, he'd taken the guy's arm off.

Cid realized that Vincent wasn't taking him back to the base. "Where we headin', Sue?"

Vincent smiled, still finding amusement in the fact that Cid's drawl had worsened so much over the past few days. "You know, your accent--"

"Shut the fuck up. I know." Cid scowled. "Like I said before, being around the old man…"

Vincent hung his head. "I'm sorry."

"It's all right." Cid laughed to himself quietly. "It's all right. But really, where we goin'?"

"As you were informed yesterday, I intend to marry Tifa again. I need to find someone to do that." Vincent felt self-conscious as hell about the whole thing and at once regretted having made the request of Cid to be a part of it, but that's how it had to be. He knew it would make Tifa happy. After all, past indiscretions or not, Cid was Tifa's best friend and had walked her down the aisle during their first wedding. Quietly, he mused, "You're Tifa's best friend."

"Yeah, so?"

"Maid of honor." Vincent smiled, keeping his eyes fixed on the sidewalk before him.

"Come again?" Cid turned his head so he could look at the other man.

"You should be the maid of honor. We could get you a dress." Vincent's grin widened.

Despite his better judgement, Cid reached over and whacked Vincent in the back of the head hard enough to make him stumble forward a few steps. "You ain't funny."

"I am to myself." Vincent reached back and rubbed his head, trying to alleviate the sting there.

"So, are we looking for a judge or what?" Cid asked, opting to move the conversation on.

"Actually…I was going to try and find a minister. Tifa did grow up in a religious home, and it might mean more to her if we went that way." Vincent glanced over at Cid. "I think she would appreciate it."

"That's…thoughtful," Cid replied quietly, not used to saying such things. "She'll be tickled shitless."

"Nice way to put it, Highwind."

"Yeah, well…" The pilot shrugged. "Then what? Where are you doing this?"

Vincent had given thought to that, and remembered the place on the beach where he and Tifa had shared a few intimate moments seven years back. "On the beach, hopefully. There's a place that Tifa and I like."

"That's good, I guess. What time?"

"Sunset." Vincent smiled again.

"You're downright Mr. Fuckin' Romantic all the sudden." Cid smirked. "You're really gonna give this bein' a better man an honest go for her, huh?"

"I have to. If I don't, you're standing in the wings."

Cid stopped walking and grabbed Vincent's arm, causing him to halt, too. "Look, Sue, don't you ever worry about that again. I'm over and done with that. We've had this discussion."

"I know, it's just that whole trust issue." Vincent scowled. "Apparently, I need to work on that, but…"

"Yeah, you've been fucked over too many times. I know what that's like. Sometimes, though, you just have to get the hell over it and believe people. Even the ones that let you down." Cid looked into his eyes, his cat like pupils dilated wide. "I'm not gonna ever do anything against you again, guy."

Vincent could literally feel the sincerity coming from his friend. "Okay."

"Now, where the fuck are we gonna find this minister or whatever?" Cid asked, needing to break the tension that had fallen over them.

Vincent raised his left hand and pointed at a church spire that towered above the other buildings in town. "Well, I suppose that would be our best bet."

"Fair enough." Cid followed along as Vincent began walking once more.

"Reno's men are going on a mission tomorrow," Vincent said, half to himself as they went.

"For?"

"To get the real cure for cancer." His red eyes narrowed.

"Oh." Cid nodded. "That's worth goin' after."

"Yes," Vincent sighed, "and it's good for something else."

"What's that?"

Vincent turned his head and looked into the pilot's gold eyes. "Well, the formulation for it can be altered, making it capable of making us, you, I, and Aaron, normal."

"No shit?" Cid knit his brow. "But which of the three of us is gonna be the guinea pig for this? I mean, you might recall that the last time I was given an experimental drug, things didn't go so well for me."

"I appreciate that, and it's the reason that I will go first once they get the formula."

Cid stopped once more. "You sure you wanna do that, Sue?"

"I have no choice. I can't go on the mission and help that way, so letting myself be the first one to get the drug seems like the best thing that I can do." Vincent produced a faint smile.

Cid huffed a little at this. "Well, okay."

"I know that you'll be a little leery to get the drug after what happened to you, but just remember, that if you hadn't gotten that drug that put…pardon me, Mr. Snuggles…into you," Vincent had to pause to stifle his giggle, "that you would either be dead or dying from the cancer."

"Yeah, I know." Cid cocked an eyebrow. "But you'd have your arm still."

"I'm willing to suffer the loss of my arm if the alternative is for you to be dead." Vincent started walking again, hoping that the pilot wouldn't stop them anymore.

"Yeah, right," Cid scoffed.

"I'm not messing with you." Vincent fixed his gaze upon the sidewalk.

Cid just shook his head and went along in silence. How or why Vincent was still willing to be his friend perplexed him, but he would accept it.


	45. Chapter 45

My computer has been resurrected. I'm content now.

Chapter 45

Tifa found herself left alone for a few hours and ended up back in her room with the baby. She left the door to the room open, in the hopes that someone might come by and talk. Basically, she was bored.

Reno was strolling along, killing time when he happened to notice the open door. He peeked inside, seeing Tifa on the couch. "Where's the Count?"

She offered him a smile. "Out with Cid."

"No shit?" Reno asked, stepping in. "Wasn't going to drag him to some isolated place and whack him, right?"

"No, I don't think so." Tifa patted the couch next to where she was sitting, hoping that Reno would hang out for a while.

He took her invitation and sat next to her. "So, what's up?"

"Nothing much." Tifa examined him. "How are you doing?"

"I'm good."

Tifa reached out and gently lifted his bangs, exposing his eye patch. "Are you still hurting from this?"

Reno didn't recoil from her touch or stare, knowing that she honestly cared. "It's not too bad. Hurts a little, but it's okay."

Tifa let her hand fall back to her lap. "I'm really sorry for all the trouble we've caused you."

Reno shrugged and settled back into the cushions. "Don't worry about it. Things were gettin' dull anyway. Vinny doing okay with everything?"

"Well," Tifa said quietly, "he's feeling a lot of guilt over what he did to you, and I know he's still hurt over what I did."

"Yeah." Reno thought about how he would feel if he were to find Angel with another man and it unsettled him. "Tough stuff. He don't need to feel bad about shooting me, though. I know it was because of the ferium. I'm cool with him."

"Reno, you've been really great through all of this." Tifa was honestly impressed with his resilience. "How do you manage to keep it together?"

He wasn't about to admit to his frequent counseling sessions with a dead man. "Just gotta do what I gotta do."

Opting to change the subject, Tifa asked, "How's Angel feeling? She's not very far along."

"Yeah, she's just a few weeks I guess." Reno smiled. "She's been tired, though and these last few days have been pretty rough since she's been putting in a lot of time here."

"Poor thing."

"I know." The ASRIO leader looked over at her. "I can't believe we're gonna have two kids, though. I wonder if this one's going to be as keyed up as Dana is all the time?"

"You never know." Tifa motioned over to where Charlotte was sleeping on the bed. "I can't wait to see if she turns out anything like Aaron or not."

"About Charlotte," Reno suddenly looked a little uncomfortable, "I needed to talk to you a little bit about her."

"What about?" Tifa asked.

"If we get this cure from the lab and it works on Vinny, Cid, and Mini Vinny, you do know that we're gonna have to give it to her as well, right?" Reno braced for her reaction.

This was something that Tifa hadn't actually given any thought to. "Oh…God, that's right…"

"I mean, we don't have to do it while she's a baby like this, apparently we have until she's about six to get it done, but I just wanted you to have the heads up. If Aaron inherited it from Vinny, then she probably did, too." Reno put his arm around her shoulders, seeing that she looked upset.

"All right." It pained Tifa to realize that her knew baby daughter now had two strikes against her-- thalessemia and some demon.

"It'll be okay, you know that," Reno tried to reassure her.

"I know, just as a mother, when you hear that there's anything wrong with your baby…" Tifa's voice trailed off and tears came to her eyes.

Reno held her closer. He closed his eye and rested his cheek against her hair. Although he was doing this with the intent of comforting Tifa, in truth, he needed it just as much as she did. He was dreading sending his men on another mission.

They both looked up when they heard Cid and Vincent return. Reno immediately let go of Tifa and stood up, fearing that Vincent might think that something weird had been going on. "Hey, Vinny, what's up?"

Vincent shrugged and came over, shoving his son-in-law aside and sitting next to Tifa. He looked over at her and grabbed one of her hands. "Cid and I have been busy."  
"Doing what?" she dared to ask.

"Planning things." Vincent smiled. "And I got a new phone."

"Can I see it?" Tifa held out her free hand toward him.

Vincent was a little disappointed that the first part of his statement had slid right by without her notice. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his new cell phone, handing it over. "It does all kinds of things."

Tifa flipped it open and took notice that it was like one that her friend back in Kalm had. "Wow…I didn't think you'd go for one quite this fancy."

Vincent's smile returned. "Well, since Cid was paying…"

Her eyes went wide and she looked at her husband. "You made Cid pay for this? Jesus, Vincent, how much did that set him back?"

"Not much," Cid lied from where he was still standing close to the door. "Hey, I'm gonna go and see if Jin's managed to pull herself out of bed yet. I'll see you guys later. Six, right?"

Vincent looked over at him and nodded. "Yes, six."

"Okay." And with that, Cid disappeared from view.

"What's going on at six?" Tifa asked, pushing various buttons on the new phone.

Vincent placed his arm around her shoulders. "Our wedding, that's what."

Tifa forgot about the phone and let it fall to the floor. "Tonight?"

"That's not a very nice way to handle my new and expensive phone, Tifa," Vincent said quietly, never missing a beat.

"Fuck the phone, Vincent. You and Cid went out and planned our whole deal in just a few hours? I mean, where are we doing it? Who's doing it? What in the hell are we going to wear?" Tifa turned to face him square on.

"Well, I was just going to wear a dress shirt, these pants, and my cloak since it will be cold out on the beach by sunset." Vincent reached down and picked up his phone off the floor. "It's casual, I figure."

"The beach?" Tifa's eyes almost teared up. "Where on the beach?"

"Our place." Vincent tucked his phone back into his pocket.

"Oh Vincent…" Tifa smiled. "Still, I don't know what I'm going to wear…"

Vincent reached into another pocket of his and pulled out a small black box. "Well, I was thinking you could wear this."

Tifa's eyes went wide as he opened the small velvet box before her. Inside, was her wedding ring, but the relatively small diamond that had been set into it before had been replaced with one of far more substance. "Oh my God, Vincent…"

He saw her start to reach for it, but snapped the box shut, causing her hand to hastily retreat. "You only get to have it if you go through with this, Tifa."

She looked into his eyes, seeing the smile that he wore. Not knowing what else to do, Tifa threw her arms around his neck and kissed him.

Reno was, needless to say, feeling profoundly out of place and turned to leave. "Well, fuck, I guess that's just dandy."

Vincent pulled back from the kiss for a moment. "You and Angel are going to attend, I hope."

"Attend what? I don't even know what in the fuck's going on." Reno crossed his arms over his chest, looking incensed, and pretending that he hadn't just heard the entire conversation that took place before him.

"Tifa and I are getting married again," Vincent said, meeting the ASRIO leader's stare. "Cid and Jin are attending, and I would like Angel and yourself to be there as well."

Reno looked thoughtful. "Sounds like a good way to kill an evening. We going out and getting drunk after?"

"Reno, I don't drink anymore, and Tifa cannot in light of the fact she's nursing."

"Oh, right." Reno's expression fell. "We going out though at all afterward?"

"We can go to dinner or something." Vincent turned his eyes back to Tifa.

"All right. I'll pay for that." Reno nodded, making a mental note of this for himself. "Six you said?"

"Yes," Vincent replied.

"And we're all meeting up here?" Reno asked.

Vincent nodded.

"Cool. I'm all over it." With that, Reno walked out, shutting the door behind him.

Tifa remained at Vincent's side, staring into his eyes in silence for several minutes. She had so many things to tell him, but feared ruining the feeling that had settled over the two of them.

Vincent reached up and placed his right hand against Tifa's cheek. "What's on your mind?"

Tifa reached up and covered his hand with her own, holding him there. "I was just…thinking how lucky I am to have you do this for me after what I did."

"Tifa, we keep going back to that." Vincent offered her a faint smile.

"I'm sorry, I know, don't let the past eat at me, right? But Vincent, I do love you and I just want you to know that and to believe it." Her expression softened and she leaned a little closer to him.

"I believe it, Tifa." He leaned forward, until his lips brushed against hers. "I have to believe it…that is all I have."

Tifa closed her eyes and submitted to his kiss.

-----------------------

Jaras, having needed to get some things done at work had gone to the bookstore, and had taken Aaron with him. The boy was content in the quiet of the shop, pulling various books from the shelves and reading them. He sat at the small table that Jaras had in the front corner of the store, looking at a book on Sephiroth, admiring the pictures of his older brother in his previous incarnation.

Jaras sat behind the register, marking an order sheet for some new paperbacks, and he happened to glance over at the boy. "What are you reading, little brother?"

Aaron looked over his shoulder. "A book about you."

Jaras cocked an eyebrow and got up, walking up behind Aaron. He saw the page that Aaron was reading, finding his own image there. Sephiroth was standing, Masamune in hand, clad in his leather overcoat and armor. It made Jaras laugh. "Funny clothes, huh?"

"I think you looked cool." Aaron touched the picture, allowing his finger to trace the image of the sword his brother held in the photo.

Jaras came up with a particular thought. "Brandon has that outfit at his home in a box. I was wearing it when I washed up here all those years ago."

"Really?" Aaron looked up at Jaras.

"Yes. We'll go stop by after work and I'll show you." Jaras tousled his brother's hair.

"Cool," Aaron said back, offering him a smile.

-----------------------

Vincent was in the shower, getting cleaned up. It was getting to be close to five, and he knew that Tifa would arrive back from her shopping trip soon and want to bathe as well before they went up to take care of things.

He washed his hair and then let the water run over his face before finally opening his eyes. When he saw Cid's form through the frosted glass of the shower door, he let out a small squeal of shock. Vincent pulled open the shower door and stared at the pilot. "What, may I ask, are you doing in here? Have you no manners?"

Cid shrugged, not moving from where he was leaning against the bathroom sink. He snickered to himself as he looked at Vincent, able to see everything. "Hey, close the door or get a towel on."

"Need I remind you that you are the one intruding on my privacy?" Vincent reached over and turned off the water, closing the shower door. "Again, why are you in here?"

"I wanted to talk."

Vincent jerked his towel from the top of the shower door and got to drying himself. "This isn't really a good time."

"I wasn't doin' anything."

Vincent wrapped the towel around his waist and then flung open the shower door once again. "Cid…honestly, get out."

"I've already seen it all, what's the big deal?" There was a smirk upon his lips.

"Or was it a case of you walking into my room uninvited, hearing the shower running, and hoping it was Tifa so that you barged in?" Vincent went over to the counter, physically pushed Cid out of the way and picked up his brush, getting to work on his hair.

"Naw, I wouldn't do that." Cid moved closer to the bathroom door, giving himself some relief from the steam that filled the room. "Seriously, I just wanted to talk."

"Our friendship is getting a little weird," Vincent mused to himself as he wrestled the tangles from his mane.

"Maybe," Cid sighed. "Anyway, Tifa stopped by and talked to me for a while before goin' up on her shopping spree."

"And?" Vincent looked over at the other man, finally done taming his hair.

Cid moved aside so that Vincent could walk out of the bathroom and over to the bed where he had his clothes laid out. "She's real excited about this. I thought it was kinda…"

"Go ahead and say it." Vincent looked back over his shoulder, losing the last of his modesty and letting the towel fall from his waist before picking up his boxers and sliding them on. "Is it gay or corny?"

"Both," Cid laughed, looking away as Vincent dressed. "But like I said, she's really amped up about it."

"I'm glad to hear that. I just want a clean start." Vincent sat on the edge of the bed and slipped his shirt on, buttoning it.

"Yeah, well, I think you're doing a real good job in bein' better to her so far. I mean, I know it hasn't been more than a few days really, but it's obvious you're really tryin'." Cid went over and landed on the couch.

"Thank you." Vincent continued dressing. "I had a fairly good reality check."

"I know, and I'm still sorry." Cid looked over and met Vincent's gaze. "But this isn't gonna be one of those things where you act different for a few weeks or so and then just go right back to where you were, right?"

"Since I know what the problem was now, I can deal with it," he replied, standing back up and getting his pants on.

Cid knit his brow. "You've gotta promise me, Sue, that you'll never hurt her again. If you do, I'll find out, and if that happens…I'll kick your ass and pull your other arm off."

"Cid," Vincent sighed, tightening his belt, "I'm never going to let her down again. I've seen what happened when I let things get out of control. I'm just lucky that she managed to hold out for six years before doing what she did and moreover, I'm lucky that we've been able to face the reality of what happened in a way that hasn't just led to more fighting. If I do ever go back to my old ways, Highwind, you have my permission to kick my ass. Deal?"

Cid got up from where he was sitting and came over. He placed his hand upon Vincent's shoulder. "Deal. It's just, and I know you don't wanna hear this shit, but I love her and I don't want her miserable anymore. She loves you, Sue, you're real fuckin' lucky for that reason alone."

Vincent took notice of the sadness in the pilot's eyes and forced himself to smile. "I know."

Cid's face looked momentarily pained, and then he moved closer, placing his arms around Vincent and holding him close. "And I hate to fuckin' admit it, Vincent, but…I, uh…"

Vincent closed his eyes and submitted to the embrace, putting his arms around Cid in return. "You don't have to say it."

"Yeah, I do." Cid closed his eyes, keeping his hold on Vincent. "I love ya, Sue."

Vincent smiled to himself, taking note of how the pilot still had to use his emasculating female nickname during such a serious statement. "I love you, too, Cid."

Thoroughly embarrassed at himself, Cid finally stepped back and ran a hand through his hair. "Okay, well, great. Now we're all just one, big fuckin' family."

"I suppose we are." Vincent turned away and picked up his boots from beside the bed.

"All right, well, I'm gonna go get ready for this thing." Cid headed toward the door.

"Cid?"

He looked back. "Yeah?"

"Thanks." Vincent offered him a genuine smile.

Cid reciprocated the expression. "Sure thing."

-----------------------

Tifa returned from her shopping trip and entered the room, finding it empty. There was a note upon the bed and she picked it up and read, holding the baby with her left arm.

__

Tifa,

I've gone ahead and left the base in preparation for tonight's event. Come up to the beach once you are ready and Reno, Angel, Cid, and Jin have arrived. Porter and Rayna have agreed to watch Charlotte for the evening, so you may drop her off there before coming.

I will be waiting.

Vincent

She smiled to herself before sitting down to nurse the baby before she got ready. Once the baby was fed, she left her room momentarily to pass Charlotte off to Porter and his wife. They eagerly accepted the infant, Rayna seeming very excited to have the baby to tend to once again.

That done, Tifa went back to her room and showered quickly before dressing, combing her hair, and putting on makeup for the first time in months. She'd given up doing so once far along in her pregnancy with Charlotte as to feel miserable. Besides, Vincent had seemed to give up noticing how she looked back then. He always claimed she was beautiful either way.

When she was ready, a knock came to the door and she answered, finding her four wedding guests present. "Hi, guys."

Reno stepped forward. "Hey, you're lookin' pretty good."

Tifa blushed. "Thanks."

Cid nodded in agreement, until his wife jabbed him in the ribs for looking at the other woman too long.

"Well," Reno said, reaching out and taking her hand, "I guess we should go before we're all late and Vinny thinks we ain't coming."

"Okay." Tifa followed along as she was pulled from the room by the ASRIO leader.

They went up to the airfield and piled into Reno's red sports car, finding five adults to be a tight fit, but the beach was only about a half mile away. Reno drove them there within a few minutes, and they got out.

Tifa looked over the scene. The tide was far out, leaving a considerable expanse of sand exposed. The sun was close to the horizon, casting the sky into a blood red hue and out on the beach, stood Vincent. There was a wind blowing as usual here, and his red cloak was billowing out behind him. Tifa smiled to herself and tuned out the conversation taking place amongst the others and started forward toward him.

When she reached Vincent, she could see that the redness of the sky was accentuating his eyes, making them look as though they were on fire. His hair had been left loose as she had expressed preferring it, and it was being blown around gently by the breeze. Tifa found herself staring. He looked better to her in that moment than he had in ages.

Vincent, in turn, smiled down at her. She had donned a simple white dress for the occasion and had done her hair in a somewhat elaborate manner. Tifa may have had a baby not too long ago, but her body was still amazing to him and he couldn't help but reach out and place his right arm behind her back.

Tifa searched his eyes. "Hey there."

"Hey."

"So, uh, where's the guy who's doing this?" she asked.

Vincent looked up over her shoulder. "Behind you."

Tifa spun around and spotted the minister who had come up behind them. "Oh, hello."

The minister grinned at her. "You must be Tifa."

"Yeah." She couldn't believe that Vincent had actually gone to the trouble of getting a real minister for this event.

"Vincent here has told me a lot about you." He was clutching a small book in his hands. "He seemed very eager for the two of you to renew your vows tonight."

Tifa smiled back at him.

The other four arrived and stood behind Vincent and Tifa. Reno started to mouth off about something, but what quickly silenced by a firm smack in the shoulder by his wife.

The minister, seeing that everyone was present, got to the task at hand. "We are here today to take part in the reaffirmation of the love between Vincent and Tifa Vatatsi. They have been married now for nearly seven years and in that time, they have been through many things. They've brought two children into this world, and have been an important part of the lives of their family and friends. Vincent, is there anything that you wish to say to your wife in this moment?"

Vincent had been giving thought to this during the day and swallowed hard, feeling profoundly self-conscious. He took both of Tifa's hands into his own. "Tifa…over the years, I know I've been hard to live with. I've taken you for granted and haven't always been the man that you deserved. Despite that, you still loved me and gave me two perfect children. I swear to you that from this moment forward, I will never take you for granted again. I will never forget how fortunate that I am to have you, and I hope that you will never regret having married me in the future. I love you."

Tifa felt tears come to her eyes, and she could see that there were some in Vincent's as well. "I love you…"

Reno was watching intently, but his eye went wide when he noticed that Tseng was present, and standing close to Vincent. He glanced at the others, wondering if anyone else noticed the deceased man present, but apparently, no one did.

Tseng glanced over at Reno and gave him a quick smile. "He is my brother, I wouldn't miss this."

The ASRIO leader just nodded slightly, opting not to interrupt the proceedings. To have done so would just have landed him in the asylum as far as he figured, anyway.

The minister then looked at Tifa. "And, Tifa, is there anything that you wish to say to Vincent?"

She was at a loss for words for a few seconds. "Vincent, I know that I hurt you in the past, but despite that, you've found it in your heart to forgive me. That forgiveness, that ability to still love me… is more than I could have ever asked for. I will never take you for granted again either. I owe you so much, and I can't express how happy I am that you've stayed with me… Our children will be better off for us remaining together, and I thank you for Aaron and Charlotte. I love you."

Although it was somewhat obscured by the collar to his cloak, Vincent was clearly smiling even though tears marked his cheeks. He dared to glance from Tifa's gaze for a moment and over at their guests. Although he may have been mistaken, he thought it looked like Cid might have been wiping his eyes at that moment.

The minister spoke up again. "Vincent, do you have a ring to present to your wife?"

He nodded and reached into his pocket, pulling Tifa's newly modified wedding ring out.

"Place the ring onto her left hand, thus signifying your continuing devotion to her in the years to come," the minister said.

Vincent complied and placed the gold ring upon her delicate hand.

That done, the minister looked to Tifa. "And do you have a ring to present to your husband?"

Tifa also came up with Vincent's wedding ring, having brought it along, worn on her right index finger.

"And as he did with you, place the ring upon Vincent, signifying your continuing devotion to him in the years to come."

She did as asked, finding that the ring fit upon the finger on his cybernetic left hand without any trouble.

"With your love and marriage thusly reaffirmed, I ask God to bless your union and grant you many more years of peace and love together. Vincent, you may kiss your wife." The minister then closed his small book and stepped back.

Vincent put his arms around Tifa and looked down into her eyes before leaning down and pressing his lips to hers. After a few moments, they pulled away from each other and turned toward their four guests.

Reno, now that Tseng had vanished from his sight, stepped forward and clapped Vincent on the back. "Good boy, Vinny."

He looked away, still embarrassed about the whole thing. "Thanks."

"That was lovely." Angel came forward as well, smiling and standing at Tifa's side. "Let me see your ring, I heard you got an upgrade."

Tifa held her hand out to Angel, and the other woman examined it before whistling in her amazement over the new stone.

Cid and Jin stepped forward, too. The pilot offered Vincent a fleeting smile. "Good job, Sue."

Vincent laughed quietly to himself. "Thanks."

Jin, however, remained quiet, not knowing what to say.

Reno was bored with the whole thing. "So, can we go have dinner now or what?"

The minister departed, having done his job and then the six of them walked from the beach and to the restaurant that had been agreed upon earlier in the day.

Things seemed to be back as they should be.

-----------------------

"Rude?"

The Turk looked into the rearview mirror of the limo, spotting President Harwin in the back seat. He was currently taking the Shinra leader to the airport, since he had finished up his reason for coming to Gongaga. "Sir?"

"Have you heard any more from Deana?" the fat man asked, before sipping from the glass of champagne in his right hand.

"No. Why?" Rude gave passing thought to the Turk that was still stationed in Mideel.

"I was just wondering if Sephiroth ever showed back up there after getting away from Methius?" Harwin closed his eyes and settled back into his seat. "I'd like to find him someday and have him executed."

"Executed?" Rude brought the car to a stop at a red light.

"I hold him responsible for the death of the good doctor."

Rude tensed his jaw, not well for this line of thought.

"Call her, have her check around to see if he's gone back there," the president ordered flatly. "For that matter, we should probably get someone to stake out Vincent Valentine's home so that he can be assassinated as well, assuming he ever goes back there."

Rude felt his blood run cold. There was no way that he was going to carry out that order.

"Well? Don't you have your phone?" the corpulent man asked, his voice betraying his annoyance.

The light turned green and Rude hit the gas, launching the car through the intersection. He knew full well that if Ferris Harwin were eliminated, so would vanish the company's interest in Vincent Valentine and Sephiroth, as well as any knowledge of the location of Vincent's home and the ASRIO base. The next man in the line of attrition within the company wasn't a cruel and vindictive man like Harwin. Simply put, without the current Shinra president, the world would be a much nicer place. Rude turned from the main road that led toward the airport and headed into the darkness.

"Where are we going?" Harwin asked, realizing that they were no longer going toward their original destination.

Rude was silent for several seconds before he pulled the car over. Blocked from view by the car seat, he slipped his gun from beneath his suit coat. He then turned in the seat and looked back at the president.

"What in the fuck are you doing? The airship is waiting!" Harwin just didn't get it.

Rude pulled off his sunglasses with his left hand. "I'm giving my notice. I quit."

Harwin threw his glass of champagne against car's passenger side window and then crossed his arms over his chest. "You can't quit! You're a Turk! Quit screwing around and get us to the airport!"

"You're the most wretched man I've ever known." Rude lifted his right hand over the seat, aiming his gun. "And for the record, lots of Turks have quit."

"Wait!" He raised his hands in a pathetic gesture of defense.

Rude pulled the trigger and his lone bullet ripped through the president's head, directly between his eyes. Harwin collapsed over onto his side in the back seat of the limousine, dead.

The Turk then turned and faced forward again in his seat, tucking his gun back beneath his coat. He pulled the car back out onto the road and headed into the countryside. Rude was going to dump the body somewhere in the rural outskirts of town before getting himself to the airport and onto a flight to Junon.

-----------------------

Vincent and Tifa had left the restaurant where the others were still drinking and having a good time. They had left early, wanting some time alone before they went back to the base. Inevitably, they made their way back to the beach and went to the same spot where they had just been about two hours before.

Vincent took of his cloak and placed it out upon the sand and then helped Tifa sit before landing at her side. He placed his right arm around her shoulders and they stared out at the water, watching the waves crash out in the moonlight.

"Vincent?"

He looked over at her and silently awaited her continuation.

"That was really sweet of you to arrange all of this," Tifa said quietly.

"Like I said, we needed a new start and now we have one." Vincent looked off toward the water. Exhaustion was starting to set in as his stress over the entire day finally faded away now that it was all done and over with.

"And getting a real minister…that was a surprise." Tifa rested her head upon his shoulder. "I really appreciated that."

"That's what I was hoping for."

"Thank you." She closed her eyes, just enjoying his closeness.

Vincent moved and got to his knees. He got behind her and knelt, placing his hands upon her shoulders. With his lips close to her ear, he whispered, "No, Tifa, I thank you. It would have been easy to just give up on me and stay with Cid. Thank you for the second chance."

Tifa was going to say something in response, but the sensation of Vincent's mouth trailing down the side of her neck cut off her words. He still knew how to drive her mad and she found herself becoming aroused.

Vincent continued to explore her neck with his lips, enjoying the way she was beginning to catch her breath on occasion when he dared to gently nip her skin with his teeth.

"Vincent…"

"Yes?" he replied, again bringing his lips close to her ear.

"I'm…I really want to…" Tifa closed her eyes, feeling his tongue outline her ear.

"You can't," he replied, sending a shiver down her spine. "It's too soon. It hurt you to try yesterday."

"Please, Vincent…" Tifa reached back with her right hand, quickly finding evidence of Vincent's own arousal. "I really want to try again."

He was reluctant, not seeing how one day could make enough of a difference. The way her hand was applying friction to him through his pants got the better of him, though. "It's up to you… If I think I'm hurting you, I'm stopping."

"Okay." Tifa got to her knees and turned, her mouth quickly being met with his.

Vincent let his hands run over her body, finding their way beneath the skirt to her dress. His hand managed beneath her undergarments and he gently allowed his fingers to apply some pressure to the focus of her arousal, causing her to groan against his mouth, making his own anticipation worsen.

Tifa, in turn, undid his belt and pants, slipping her hand within and taking a hold of him. Her head lulled back as he began to lavish her throat with kisses. "Vincent…"

"Tifa…" He felt her begin to respond to his touch and was pleased that so far there was no hint of pain coming from her.

She pulled away from him and laid back, extending her arms toward him. "Please…"

Vincent got onto all fours and came to hover over her. Tifa reached up and pulled his pants down just enough to expose him, before grabbing the bottom hem of her dress and drawing it up. Vincent placed his right hand upon her thigh and ran it up to where it met her body. She writhed beneath him, her eyes begging him to proceed.

His right hand carefully pulled her panties aside and Vincent lowered his body down until it met hers. Agonizingly slow, he drove into her, keeping his eyes open and gazing down into hers as he went, searching for any sign that she was suffering.

But she wasn't suffering at all. With as aroused as she was and with the position they were in, Tifa was able to accommodate Vincent's length without complaint. Seeing that she wasn't having any trouble, Vincent kissed her again and began to move slowly.

They made love there on the beach in the dark for well over an hour and a half. Vincent managed to bring her to climax three times before finally submitting to his own passion and achieving his release.

Once they were done, Vincent stood up and then offered Tifa his hand. She rose as well and kissed him again before stepping back and staring into his eyes. "I love you."

Vincent smiled. "I love you, too. We…we should probably get back."

"I know." Tifa grinned and looked out at the water one last time.

Vincent bent down and picked up his cloak before shaking the sand from it. That done, he took his wife's hand and walked with her back toward the base. Once there, they collected their daughter, fed her, and then the three of them fell asleep.

The day was done.


	46. Chapter 46

A short one, but we're getting to the catharsis so…

Chapter 46

Quigley awoke and looked over at the clock, seeing that it was close to seven in the morning. He knew he needed to get up and start preparing to leave in a few hours for the trip to Junon, but the feeling of the warm body next to him in his bed made that entirely undesirable to do.

Amy stirred and looked over at him in the darkness. "Quig?"

"Yeah?"

She had an arm draped across his chest, and let her fingertips press into his skin. "You're not getting up yet, right?"

Quigley moved slightly and kissed her. "Not quite yet."

She nuzzled into him, her tiredness still obvious. "Okay…good."

-----------------------

Porter was sitting on the edge of his bed, buttoning up his shirt. He was in the process of donning a counterfeit Turk suit, as Reno had decided that would be the best thing for the insertion team to wear since they were being escorted into the lab by Rude. There was something to be said about the familiarity of the outfit as he slipped on his zippered suit coat. It may have been just a few years shy of a decade since he'd been a Turk, but at the moment, it didn't seem near that long.

Rayna emerged from the bathroom and froze upon seeing him rise from the bed. "Oh, wow…"

He turned his evergreen eyes toward her and cocked his head. "What's up?"

She sauntered over to his side and reached out, straightening his tie. "It's just…well, this is what you used to look like when we first got together."

"Blast from the past, huh?" Porter offered her a smile.

"A very sexy one, I might add." Rayna placed her hands upon his shoulders. Her expression suddenly fell as the reality of_ why _he was in a Turk suit settled in. "I really wish you weren't going in, Joseph."

To hear her use his real name let him know how serious she was. He gazed into her dark eyes and framed her face with his hands. "I know, and I'm sorry, but I can't let Quig go in there without me."

Rayna sighed, feeling her fear wash over her. She was aware, however, that Porter and Quigley were inseparable and that her husband would never let the researcher do anything even remotely dangerous on his own. In her heart, she knew that when push came to shove, Porter and Quigley honestly loved one another. There was no way that the former Turk would be dissuaded from this mission, no matter what protests she raised. "Just promise me you'll be careful."

His smile returned and he kissed her gently before stepping back. "Rayna, you know I will. Besides, this shouldn't be too bad. I mean, Rude's getting us in there so it's not like we're going to have to fight our way through the building."

Rayna remembered how close Porter and Rude had been during his Turk days and knew that the older man would do all that was in his power to see to her husband's safety. "Okay."

"I love you, Rayna." Porter went over to the dresser and picked up his gun, sliding it into his shoulder holster beneath his suit coat. "I have to go now."

Rayna closed the distance between them and launched herself into his arms for one last kiss. She was literally heartsick over what Porter was voluntarily walking into.

-----------------------

It was eleven in the morning when everyone amassed on the airfield as the mission team was ordered to head out. Kimo, Quigley, Porter, Rayna, Amy, Reno, Angel, Ericson, Brad, Cid, Jin, Vincent, and Tifa were all present.

Reno and Angel came over to where Vincent and Tifa were standing. Angel leaned close to Tifa, seeing that Charlotte was sleeping in her arms.

The ASRIO leader looked over at Vincent. "Just think, if this all works out, you could be demon free pretty soon."

"I hope so." Vincent scanned over all those present dressed in Turk suits, feeling incredibly left out. He then looked back at Reno, noticing that he, too, was in such a suit. "I thought you weren't going?"

Reno waved his hand, seeming to dismiss Vincent's concern. "Aw fuck, I'm just riding along but I put it on just for the hell of it."

Vincent crossed his arms over his chest, doubt in his mind. "Right."

"He promised that he wasn't going in, but he is making the trip to Junon," Angel snapped, not one to entirely believe the things that Reno said.

"I'm not!" Reno turned his back on them. "I'm just riding along. I plan to stay the fuck out of the Shinra building, thank you very much."

Angel squealed in surprise when Reno whipped back around and took her into his arms, before planting a firm kiss upon her lips.

Reno finally let her go. "All right, Babe, I'm off. I love ya."

"I love you, too," she said after him as he pushed through the crowd and over to the helicopter.

"All right, let's get this fuckin' show on the road!" Reno called out, signaling that everyone on the team needed to board the chopper.

Good byes were given all around and all the men departing got into the helicopter. Brad fired up the engines and all those remaining backed away.

Vincent felt a lump come up in his throat as the chopper lifted up into the sky. The fact that he wasn't onboard and going on the mission was ripping him apart. Not wanting anyone to see the emotion that was creeping up within him, he turned silently and headed back down into the base.

-----------------------

Porter was sitting in one of the helicopter's seats next to Quigley. He examined his best friend, seeing that the researcher's complexion was noticeably pale. "Quig?"

His dog-brown eyes turned to Porter. "Yeah?"

"Are you okay?" Porter asked, genuinely concerned.

"I'm…I'm scared to do this, Port. After seeing what's happened to the rest of you guys in the past going on these missions…and what happened to Spence…" Quigley hastily looked away, feeling a burn come to his eyes at the mention of his dead brother.

Porter knew that this was going to be unbearably hard on the other man no matter what he had to say. Not knowing what else to do, he put his arm around Quigley's shoulders.

Reno was sitting across from them, flanked by Kimo and Ericson. His first instinct was to taunt Porter and Quigley for their present position, but when he saw the hint of tears in the blonde's eyes, he actually managed to hold his tongue. This was not the time to harass Porter and Quigley for their remarkably close relationship. For agreeing to go on this mission, they deserved a break.

They made the three-hour flight to Junon more or less in silence.

-----------------------

Jaras sat at the dinning room table in his father-in-law's home, with Jeanine at his left and Aaron at his right. Across from them sat Brandon and Janice. When Jaras had stopped by the night before to show Aaron Sephiroth's belongings, they had found the house empty as Brandon and Janice had gone out. Today, he'd returned again with Jeanine and Aaron in tow, still intending to show his younger brother the items that Brandon had kept. When Janice had opened the door upon their arrival, both Jeanine and Jaras had been dumbstruck. They were then invited in and now they all sat together in the dinning room.

Dr. Arlin had just finished giving her explanation for her resignation from ASRIO and a silence had fallen over the group.

Eventually, Jaras broke the quiet. "So, what are your plans now?"

"I'm going to stay here as long as Brandon can tolerate me, I suppose." Janice felt a blush come to her cheeks. "I really don't know what else."

Jaras asked the obvious. "Who's working as doctor in the base if you're not there?"

"They've had a few people that have filled in here or there over the years. I'm sure I've already been replaced." Janice dropped her gaze to the surface of the table.

Jeanine, having gotten close to the other woman, was concerned. "This just doesn't seem like you, Janice."

"That's what I told her," Brandon interjected, reaching over and taking up one of Dr. Arlin's hands into his own.

"Look, I just want to have a life for a while, that's all. It's not that I don't love being a doctor…hell, I'll even admit that I'm really attached to all of the people back at ASRIO, _including_ Reno, but enough is enough." She hung her head and sighed.

Brandon, seeing that Janice was being hard on herself opted to change the subject. He looked over at the boy. "So, Aaron, you're staying with your brother?"

"Yeah," he looked over at Jaras, "for a while."

The old man seemed to take this answer at face value. "Well, I know Jaras probably is just delighted that you're here. He talks about you a lot."

Aaron's eyes lit up to hear this. "He does?"

"You bet he does." Brandon offered him a smile.

Jaras laughed quietly to himself to hear this, mostly because it was the truth. "Actually, I was bringing him here today to show him something. Do you still have that box stashed behind the couch in the family room?"

Brandon knit his brow. "Oh…he knows about that?"

"More or less he figured it out on his own." Jaras reached over and patted his little brother on the back. "He's intelligent."

"Well, yes, it's still in there. Go ahead and show him." Brandon motioned toward the family room.

Jaras nodded in appreciation and got up from his seat, taking Aaron's hand and leading his younger sibling out. Once in the family room, Jaras went over to the couch and knelt upon it, reaching back and pulling forth the wooden box that was kept behind it. He set it upon the coffee table and then smiled over at his brother who'd come over and sat beside him.

"I wanna see," Aaron urged him on.

Jaras gave him a quick nod and then flipped open the latch upon the box and pulled open the top. The smell of Mako instantly filled the room, making Jaras' gut knot at the memory of his recent treatment.

Aaron's eyes went wide and he stood up, leaning over the crate. "Can I touch it?"

"Sure, go right ahead." Jaras sat back and enjoyed the boy's amazed expression.

Aaron reached into the box and picked up the gloves that were on top of everything, examining them for a moment. He set them carefully upon the table then reached in and picked up the long leather coat within. The boy held it up before him, disbelieving that he was actually seeing these items in person. "This is really cool, Jaras… Have you ever put it back on?"

Jaras shook his head. "Never."

"I think you should. I'd like to see it." Aaron glanced back over his shoulder at his brother.

Knowing that he'd do anything to amuse his sibling, Jaras smiled. "Do you really want to see me in that stuff?"

Aaron nodded eagerly.

Jaras laughed to himself and stood up. He picked up the gloves and tossed them back in the box before claiming the coat from his brother and laying it back inside. That done, he took up the box and headed toward the bathroom.

Aaron landed back on the couch, tickled that his brother would do this for him.

Jaras went into the bathroom and stripped down to his boxers. That done, he began pulling things out of the box and getting dressed. It may have been ages since he'd been Sephiroth and had worn this outfit, but the act of putting it on and the feeling of the leather against his skin was still all too familiar. After getting it all on and pulling on his boots, he turned and looked at his image in the bathroom mirror.

His eyes narrowed as he studied his reflection, finding it familiar, frighteningly familiar. Slowly, he reached up and back, and pulled the rubber band from his hair that had been holding it in a loose ponytail, so that his silver mane cascaded freely about his shoulders. It was time to go show Aaron and he opened the door and stepped out.

The boy had produced his video game from his pocket while waiting, and had quickly gotten absorbed in it. When he heard Jaras clear his throat, he looked up, his crimson eyes going wide. "Oh wow…"

Jaras cocked his head to the side. "What do you think? It's a little ridiculous, isn't it?"

Aaron shook his head and got up, coming closer. "No, it's cool."

"If you say so." Jaras offered his brother a smile.

The others chose that moment to walk in from the other room, and they all stopped dead in their tracks upon the vision of Sephiroth standing there. They were all shocked to have this very concrete reminder of exactly who Jaras truly was displayed before them. No one knew what to say.

Upon seeing the expressions that everyone wore, Jaras suddenly felt more than a little self-conscious about having put on his old outfit. He felt the need to try and explain himself. "Aaron just wanted to see, that's all."

Jeanine, being the most in tune with Jaras' feelings, stepped forward. A smile came to her lips and she placed a hand on his shoulder. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, seeing him dressed like this was proving to be somewhat of a turn on. "It's all right. You actually look pretty damn good."

He cocked an eyebrow, catching the glimmer in her eye as she said this to him. "Thanks…"

Jeanine leaned closer to him and whispered in his ear. "I think it's about time you bring that outfit home, don't you? I might just want to see General Sephiroth again sometime."

Jaras felt his cheeks flush red and he laughed to himself. "I might just be inclined to do so."

-----------------------

Rude was sitting in the bar in the lobby to the Junon Mayfield Hotel, nursing a beer. His nerves were frayed after assassinating the president of the company the night before. He knew that he hadn't done the best of jobs hiding the body, not that it mattered much. The minute Harwin was late to board the airship in Gongaga the alert would have gone out. Now, the Shinra head would have been missing for well over half a day and surely there was panic in the ranks. Still, he'd watched the afternoon news on the small television in the bar, and no mention of the president's disappearance was mentioned, meaning that the company wasn't yet giving up hope that their leader might still be alive. But as everyone knows, people of that level of power don't generally vanish and turn up alive.

Rude knew that it was only a matter of time before someone came looking. The blood soaked limousine would eventually be found in the parking lot of the Gongaga airport, and they would know that either the president was dead and his Turk probably was, too, or that worse yet, said Turk had killed the Shinra head. Either way, people were going to be on the look out for him shortly.

Suddenly, his whole body went rigid when he felt the unmistakable cold metal of a gun muzzle dig into the back of his neck.

_Fuck, not already! _he thought to himself, raising his hands slightly from the bar before him.

"Albert Dering Simmons?" growled out a voice behind him, "Better known as the Turk Rude?"

Rude knit his brow and narrowed his eyes behind his tinted lenses. That voice…it was just too familiar. He spun upon his barstool, spotting Reno behind him, a wide smile upon the redhead's lips.

Rude quickly snatched the gun out of the ASRIO leader's hand. "What the fuck are you doing?"

Reno shrugged. "Messing with ya."

Rude handed the gun back to Reno, motioning that he should probably get it out of sight. "You shouldn't be making a scene like that, retard."

Reno collapsed onto a barstool next to his old comrade. "Yeah, I missed you too, sweetie."

"Knock it off, this is serious." Rude pushed his glasses up and faced his friend. "There's some serious shit going on right now. Where are your men?"

Reno pointed out into the lobby, motioning to where his men were sitting off in some chairs. "Out there. Kimo and Porter are here."

Rude raised his eyebrows. He had been close with both of those men in their Turk days, and the thought of seeing them again was appealing. "Really?"

"Yeah, but what's this big deal you're talkin' about?" Reno asked, leaning against the bar and signaling over toward the bartender for a beer like Rude's.

The Turk's expression suddenly turned dark, and his voice barely audible, he replied, "I shot Harwin last night."

Reno's jaw fell open, he couldn't believe this. "The fuck you say?"

Rude took up his bottle and downed its remaining contents. "Yeah, I say."

"That's…" Reno actually smiled, "that's great."

"Yeah, but," Rude locked gazes with the other man, "that means the alert is going to be out on me pretty damn soon. We need to get into that building ASAP and get this done before I become real popular."

"Okay." Reno picked up his beer that had just arrived and slapped down a few gil onto the bar. "Then I'll just have this to go."

Rude nodded and stood up. "That sounds like a good plan."

They exited the bar and approached the ASRIO members in the lobby. Rude inspected all of them. "You all make one ugly damn bunch of Turks."

Porter and Kimo both grinned widely upon seeing their friend. Porter laughed to himself. "Yeah, at least the rest of us still have our hair."

Had that comment come from anyone else, they would have found a bullet in their brain, but Rude just grinned. "Hey Port, Kimo."

"So, shall we?" Reno asked, taking a swig from his drink.

"We?" Porter crossed his arms over his chest. "You're not going, Reno. You promised Angel that you would wait with Brad and the chopper."

"You ain't my fuckin' mom," Reno shot back. "I've changed my mind, and I am going and none of you are gonna say shit to Angel when we get back about it either, got it?"

"Reno, if none of us make it, that leaves Angel alone to run ASRIO, you know that," Porter retorted sharply. "And, need I remind you that you have a new baby on the way. It was you, after all, that gave Vincent crap about going on a mission with a new kid on the way."

Reno scowled. He had hoped to slip in with the mission team for old time's sake without being given any grief, but it was clear that Porter hadn't gotten that memo. "Damn it."

Rude locked gazes with his friend. "Reno, you don't have any business going. You just got half your face blown off not too long ago and I hate to say it but injury or not, you're a pretty well known face and it would make things a lot more risky."

Reno stomped his foot like a child about to have a temper tantrum. "God damn it! I want to fuckin' go!"

"Grow up," Rude growled at him. Acting immature had been one of his only beefs with his long time friend.

"Fuck you guys then." Reno took another drink from his beer. "I'll go back up to the roof and wait with the chopper."

"Good." Rude looked over at the other men. "Let's go."

Reno turned and stormed off toward the elevators, mumbling under his breath as he went. "Fucking fuckers telling me I can't fucking go on a fucking God damned mission. I'm the fucking boss…"

"I see he hasn't grown up much," Rude said as he began to lead the others from the hotel lobby.

Porter and Kimo walked at his sides, Quigley and Ericson trailing.

Porter smiled at the last remark. "No, he hasn't."

"How've you been? Still with Rayna?" Rude asked.

"Good, I've been all right and of course I'm still with Rayna, we're married." Porter gave him a sidelong glance.

"What about you, Kimo?" Rude looked over at the heavyset blond.

"I'm doing," he replied with a smile. "It's going to be nice for all of us to be together again, huh? Just like old times."

"Yeah, except Rasta ain't here," Rude said back quietly.

Porter and Kimo both nodded in a moment of silence. The dead Turk had been a close friend before things had turned bad-- very bad seven years before.

Quigley sighed loudly as he trudged along behind the others, not at all happy about what they were going to do. Porter heard this and dropped back to his best friend's side. "Quig?"

The researcher kept his gaze to the sidewalk before him. "Yeah?"

"Are you doing okay?"

"I just want this over with, Port." Quigley's heart was beating out of his chest and his whole body was shaking, although he was doing his best to hide it.

"Pretty soon, okay?" Porter looked down the street, seeing the Shinra facility less than half a block away. "Fifteen, twenty minutes from now, we'll be back on the helicopter heading home, all right?"

"Sure." Quigley forced a pathetic smile.

Rude led them straight up to the Shinra building, but stopped short of going up the stairs and through the door. He turned back and faced the others. "I'm going in first, just to scope things out. If they don't give me any shit, then I'll come back out and get you guys, and we'll head up, all right?"

Everyone nodded in unison. Rude knew best.

It was time.


	47. Chapter 47

Another shortie, but this one was a little rough.

Oh, and uh, KR, you were right, you know…

Chapter 47

Jaras went back into the bathroom to take off his old SOLDIER outfit. He turned on the light and locked the door before looking at himself in the mirror one more time. Although he didn't think he was smiling, the lips upon his reflection twisted up into a sort of sneer.

"You honestly thought it would be that simple?" his image said to him.

Jaras' eyes went wide as he looked back at his visage, which was not necessarily reflecting what he was actually doing. "Oh no…"

"Did it ever occur to you that knowing that being immersed in the Lifestream is what took away your power, that perhaps Dr. Methius saw to it to improve upon the Jenova's ability to survive such exposure?" Sephiroth's cat like eyes narrowed back at him in his satisfaction.

Jaras' mouth fell open as he wanted to say something, but nothing came out. He was mortified at being faced so blatantly with his inner self and his blood ran cold.

Sephiroth's smile immediately fell and his arm came up and forward, emerging from the mirror and his hand clutching Jaras' throat. "You will never be free of me!"

Jaras tried to cry out as his hands came up to try and pry Sephiroth's grip from his neck, but just as quickly as it had come, the vision disappeared, leaving Jaras just staring at his own ashen reflection. He panted to catch his breath and understand what had just happened, falling to his knees.

The Jenova madness was already setting in-- the Mako treatment the day before had done nothing, and he was terrified.

-----------------------

Rude walked through the entrance to the Shinra building and straight back to the security desk before the elevators. There were two men present who both immediately rose up from their seats upon his approach.

"Sir? What can we do for you?" the one on the left asked, well aware of who he was facing. They had yet to receive any word regarding the president's disappearance.

"I've been sent from Midgar with some associates of mine. We are under orders to go up to the lab and claim Dr. Peirte Methius' remaining belongings from this facility. I would like the lab emptied of all personnel so that we may conduct our work in peace. Send up the order," Rude said, pushing his glasses up higher on his nose.

"Y…yes, Sir," the other guard responded, picking up the phone to call up to the lab.

"I'm going to go get my men now." Rude turned away, hiding the smile he felt. He stepped back out of the building and waved over at the ASRIO team. "Come on."

They all hurried up the stairs and followed him back in and over to the elevators. Everyone walked along, seemingly calm and cool, with the exception of Quigley who was sweating profusely.

One of the two guards avoided looking at the group of Turks as they went by, but the other glanced at them, noticing the one man looking profoundly unsettled. Once the Turks stepped onto the elevator and out of view, the guard picked up the phone again.

"What are you doing?" the other man asked.

He shrugged, waiting for an answer. "Better safe than sorry on things like this."

"That was Rude!" The guard pointed back to the elevators. "Of all people to question!"

He pulled the phone from his ear, realizing the stupidity of what he was going to do. There was every chance that if the Turk later found out that he, a measly watchman, had dared to question him, that he would find a bullet in his head. Laughing to himself, he placed the phone back down. "Yeah, you're right. Fuck it."

They rode in the elevator up to the lab level in silence. Rude looked back over his shoulder at the four men with him, considering them for a moment. His eyes landed upon Quigley, who looked like he was just about to crawl out of his skin. "Are you doing all right?"

The ASRIO researcher tried to play it off cool, but failed miserably. "Uh, sure thing."

Porter glanced at his partner and then over at Rude. "You can't blame the guy for being nervous, Rude. He used to work in the Midgar lab with Hojo, remember?"

Rude nodded knowingly. Undoubtedly, the man had seen plenty of things to solidly ensconce a good level of fear within him in regards to Shinra labs. "This shouldn't be too bad."

Quigley was only marginally comforted by this, and began to fidget with his hands.

Feeling the disquiet within his friend, Porter instinctively reached over and patted Quigley on the back. "You'll be okay, Quig."

"Okay," he said back, his voice hushed. He was ashamed for his level of fear in front of the other men who all seemed to have it so well together. The researcher knew that he didn't belong there. It was all wrong.

The elevator finally stopped and the doors opened. They stepped out into the hallway before the lab's security doors. Rude went up to the keypad and swiped his identification card through it, but the doors didn't unlock. "Fuck…"

Ericson, always prepared, tore his gaze away from the cluster of bullet holes that still marred the wall where Vincent had been shot and came over. He passed his counterfeit card through the slot and the light turned green, the doors unlatching.

Rude considered his pass card for a moment, before slipping it back into his pocket. Unbeknownst to him, although no sort of announcement had gone out yet, since he was supposedly missing, a hold had been placed on his pass card in the Shinra computer system back in Midgar, which was, of course, networked to all the company's facilities. That way, if someone had taken his card in an attempt to gain access, it would be fruitless, or moreover, if he showed up himself to use it, an alert would instantly go straight to the security offices back in Midgar.

And that is exactly what happened.

Blissfully unaware of this, they entered the lab, finding it mercifully abandoned as per Rude's request. After scanning the scene and making sure that it was all clear, Rude motioned over toward Dr. Methius' office. "Go get to it."

His body now trembling horribly, Quigley hurried over and entered the small office, Porter going along right at his side. He landed in the plush chair behind the desk and turned on the computer.

Porter pulled a small piece of paper from his pocket and dropped it on the desk. "Hopefully he used the same password."

"Yeah," Quigley said back, eyeing the code that they'd gotten off of the laptop that had been brought to them earlier. Once the computer booted up, the researcher entered the code into the login box and let out a relieved sigh when he was granted access. "We're in."

Back out in the lab proper, Rude was remaining close to the doors, weary for any sign of trouble. Kimo was at his side, his gun in his hands, ready to take aim at anyone that dared step off the elevator at this inopportune moment.

Ericson, in the meanwhile, busied himself collecting various sample vials, memos, and other such things that had been left out, in the off chance that there was something valuable to be learned by doing so.

Back in the office, Quigley was searching for anything having to do with cancer. Now feeling as though he was doing something of value to redeem himself, his nervousness abated a bit and he typed and read at a fever pitch, looking for the needle in the haystack of files.

Porter just stood behind him, hands on the blonde's shoulders, watching in approving amazement at how fast Quigley was sifting through the information being presented. "Come on, Quig…"

Quigley's whole body went rigid and his eyes went wide. "Oh fuck…fuck fuck! Here! Right here! This is it! Oh, give me the disc, Port!"

Porter pulled the blank CD-R from his coat pocket and handed it to his friend. A smile was upon his lips, not just from the information being found, but for the fact that Quigley had sounded like he was on the verge of orgasm for finding it. "Don't have some sort of sexual experience over it, Quig."

This went right over his head as he slipped the disc into the computer and began saving files like a man possessed. The progress bar for the save came up, the blue line creeping painfully slow across the screen.

26….39…57

Quigley looked back at the former Turk. "Is everything still quiet?"

"Yeah."

74…88…93

Then, the alarm went off.

Quigley's eyes went wide in terror. "I thought we were free and clear!"

"Quig, get the disc," Porter snapped, standing up and going to the door of the office. He spotted Rude, Kimo, and Ericson by the doors. "What's up?"

"I'm guessing that my pass card getting denied tipped someone off somewhere," Rude replied, his calm air unflappable.

100

Quigley huffed and pulled the disc from the computer, snapping it back into its case and getting up. He jogged over to Porter. "Okay, it's all here."

Rude nodded curtly. "We're outta here."

Quigley slipped the disc into his pocket, feeling his nervousness return threefold. He pulled out the gun that he'd been provided with when it was clear that everyone else had done the same.

Porter pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed Reno.

"What?" came the ASRIO leader's voice.

"We've got it, but the alarm just went off. Someone's savvy." Porter followed as Rude led them back toward the elevators. "I don't know if we'll be able to get through the front doors…"

"We'll get in the air and just hang over the building. When you get either to the roof or the ground, call and Brad and I will be there." Reno was sitting in the copilot's seat of the helicopter and looked over at the pilot who was already firing up the engines.

Not bothering with any pleasantries, Porter simply hung up and dropped his phone into his coat pocket.

Rude hit the call button for the elevator. "Okay, the building's seven stories tall, we're on the fifth. We go up, it's the shortest way."

Porter nodded in agreement. "Yeah."

"Call him back once we get on the elevator." Rude turned his back to everyone as he waited for the doors to open up.

The elevator arrived and there was a tense moment as the doors parted. Within was someone, but before the doors had opened fully, Kimo had already pealed off a shot, killing the lone guard within. They stepped over the body and got in. Quigley leaned against the back wall of the lift and looked down at the dead guard on the floor. He noticed that it was the guard at the security desk that had made eye contact with him as they had walked past.

Seeing that his friend was fixating on the dead man, Porter came over and placed his hands on the sides of Quigley's face, forcing him to look up. "Quig?"

His stressed and tired eyes met Porter's. "Huh?"

"We're almost out, okay? Just keep it together for a few more minutes, all right?" Porter was staring to wonder if it was possible for Quigley to drop dead from stress alone.

Quigley offered him a slight nod, but his eyes were already trying to look downward at the dead guard again. "Yeah…"

Porter shook his head. "Don't look at him, Quig."

The researcher simply closed his eyes.

Porter then pulled out his phone, and hit Reno's number.

"What?"

"Roof," Porter said, before stowing his phone away again.

The elevator didn't make it to the roof. It stopped on the seventh floor and everyone held their guns before them. The doors parted and they were faced with four Shinra guards, rifles pointed at them.

Kimo didn't give it a moment's hesitation, nor did Rude before they opened fire. Two of the four guards instantly fell, the two remaining diving for cover. Rude and Kimo kept their guns blazing, motioning back for Porter, Ericson, and Quigley to get out while thusly covered and make the short run to the stairwell that would get them to the roof.

The two Shinra guards attempted to fire back as three of the men ran toward the stairwell, and Ericson was clipped in the left shoulder by a bullet, but didn't allow it to effect his pace. Porter opened the door to the stairwell and let Quigley and Ericson pass.

Seeing that the others were safe, Rude then motioned for Kimo to go as well. The blond bolted, firing as he went, taking out one of the two remaining guards. He managed to pass Porter and get into the stairwell.

Rude then darted toward the stairwell, making it but at the cost of his sunglasses falling from his face as he went. "Start climbing!"

Ericson was already on the roof, having made the ascent in just a few short seconds, getting to the task of getting the door above open, which he quickly did.

Porter hesitated, letting everyone else get on the stairs before he started, knowing that he would be the slowest in light of his old injury.

The chopper was there and waiting, and Ericson sprinted for it, followed closely by Kimo.

Rude got to the top of the stairs and looked back, seeing Quigley close behind him, but Porter was only about half way up. "Come the fuck on!"

Porter was doing his best, but his hip had just never gotten back to anything close to normal after Hojo had shot him all those years ago. He was making it up the stairs at a descent pace, but no where near as fast as the other's had.

Then, the door to the stairwell opened below, the lone surviving guard appearing.

Something came over Quigley and he actually raised the gun he'd been given and he fired a shot, but not before the guard got off one of his own.

The guard was struck, by some trick of fate, in the head by Quigley's wild shot and hit the floor.

But Porter wasn't climbing the stairs anymore. He was standing perfectly still there, a few steps below Quigley and Rude.

Quigley's eyes went wide when he noticed the dark stain beginning to spread across the front of Porter's suit. When the guard had gotten off his lone shot, it had hit Porter in the back, the bullet tearing all the way through him and exiting out the center of his chest. He fell to his knees on the steps, his right hand clutching the front of his shirt.

"No! Oh God, no!" Quigley tried to go back down to Porter, but Rude grabbed his arm.

"He's fucked, let's just go!" Rude attempted to drag the other man out and toward the helicopter, but Quigley wouldn't budge.

Having seen what had befallen the dead that Shinra had gotten a hold of before-- Cloud, Vincent, and his own brother, Spencer-- there was absolutely no way that he was going to abandon Porter, mortally wounded or otherwise. He ripped his arm from the Turk's grip and got down to Porter.

"Port, come on, we're getting out." Quigley stooped down, letting Porter put his arm around his shoulders.

Rude, knowing that Quigley was in no shape to haul the quickly weakening man up alone, cursed under his breath and then went down, getting to Porter's other side and helping get him up the stairs. They got up to the landing and out on the roof.

The others were standing in the door to the chopper, weapons drawn to offer whatever cover they could as the last three members made it toward the machine. However, no one needed to fire a shot as Rude, Quigley, and Porter reached the helicopter before any more guards emerged.

Porter was hoisted into the chopper and laid out on the floor. Quigley got to his side and cradled him in his arms as the machine lifted them from the roof and into the sky.

A silence fell over everyone as they watched Quigley sit there with Porter in his arms. Even Reno, who'd emerged from the cockpit to sit with his men didn't dare say a word, already knowing the inevitable outcome from the location of Porter's wound.

Quigley searched Porter's green eyes. The researcher's cheeks were marked with tears and there was an unbearable tightness in his throat, but he forced himself to speak. "Come on, we're back on the chopper…we made it."

Porter was trying to breathe, but it was nearly impossible. Blood ran from the corners of his mouth when he attempted to reply. "Quig…"

"It's okay…" Quigley's shoulders heaved as he was being wracked with sobs. "We're going home."

Porter closed his eyes for a moment, the pain becoming unbearable. His lungs were filling with blood, smothering him. "Tell Rayna…"

"No! You're not dying!" Quigley shook his head, seeing the color draining from his friend's face.

"Tell Rayna I love her." Porter choked for a moment, before bringing his blood soaked right hand up against the blonde's cheek. "And…I love you, too."

"Porter!" Quigley was in abject panic. "I love you, please, don't die!"

The former Turk's lips quirked into a faint smile for a moment, before his eyes stopped focusing and his head lulled back.

Quigley looked over at Reno. "Help me!"

Reno shook his head slightly, knowing that there was nothing either he or anyone else could do.

In a desperate act, Quigley laid Porter flat on his back and knelt at his side. He began chest compressions.

Reno stared on, tears marking his left cheek. "Quig…stop…"

"No!" Quigley stopped pushing on Porter's chest for a moment, but just to put his mouth to his friend's, in a vain attempt to give him a breath. He began to move to start chest compressions again, but face to face with Porter like he was, and tasting the blood now in his own mouth, the reality hit-- and it hit hard. Quigley collapsed onto the dead man, crying with complete abandon.

Reno fell back into one of the seats on the chopper, Rude, Kimo, and Ericson opposite to him, all eyes on Quigley.

"Reno," came a voice from his left.

Dreading what he was about to see, Reno slowly turned his head to the side. It was Porter, sitting next to him. Silently, he mouthed the words, _Oh fuck…_

Porter turned his head and looked over at where Quigley was with his body. "Tell him, Reno, tell him I'm okay."

Reno then looked to his right, seeing that Tseng was in the seat on that side of him. Over the sounds of the helicopter's rotors, he knew no one would be able to hear him as he whispered, "Tseng…what the fuck?"

Tseng offered him a weak smile. "I'm here for Porter right now, you need to go be there for Quigley."

Reno nodded and got up, going over and kneeling next to Quigley's side. He placed his hands upon Quigley's back. "It's okay…"

Quigley, upon feeling Reno beside him, straightened up and turned toward his boss. His tear dimmed eyes begged for something, anything, that would make this all just a dream. "Reno…"

Not knowing what else to do, Reno put his arms around the researcher and held him close. He looked up over where he had been sitting, seeing Porter smile at him in gratitude, Tseng getting up and coming over to put his hand on Porter's shoulder. Reno closed his eye for a moment to blink away the tears, but when he looked again, three empty seats were all that he saw.


	48. Chapter 48

Thank you for all your replies to my query. Sorry I…got a little weird there, but I've figured it out and how it has to be. This is how the story goes. Love you all!

Chapter 48

Tifa was sitting on the couch with Vincent at her side. When the phone in their room went off, she reached over and picked it up. "Hello?"

Over the sound of the helicopter in the background came Reno's voice. "Hey, Tifa."

To hear his voice confirmed that he was alive-- whether or not he went in with the mission team. "Where are you guys? Did you get it? Is everyone okay?"

"Yeah," Reno was still sitting on the floor of the chopper next to Quigley, a position that was uncomfortable after two and a half hours, "I need to talk to you."

The serious edge of his voice sent a chill down her spine and she looked over at her husband. "What is it?"

"I want you and Vinny to go get Rayna. Keep her in her room so that she doesn't come up to the airfield, okay?" Reno turned away from Quigley, who was still holding Porter's body.

"Oh God Reno, why? Please don't say that something happened to Port…" Tifa moved closer to Vincent, fearing what she was learning.

Vincent's eyes went wide as he saw the darkness overcoming Tifa.

"I don't want her to see him until his body's cleaned up." Reno was fighting the damnable tightness in his throat again.

Tears came to Tifa's eyes and she closed them, appreciating the fact that Vincent instantly had his arm around her. She pulled the phone away from her ear for a moment, and whispered quietly. "It's Porter…he didn't make it."

Vincent already had figured as much, but it still hurt and he drew in a jagged breath.

Tifa put the phone back to her ear. "Okay, we can go keep her occupied."

"Don't say nothing, though." Reno wiped a stray tear away from his left cheek. "I…I'm gonna have to be the one that tells her, okay?"

Tifa understood. Reno was the kind of man that took and handled things personally. "All right. Everyone else is fine though, aren't they?"

"Yeah." Reno scanned over his other men. "And we've got old Rude here with us now, too."

She opened her eyes and looked up at Vincent. "How…how's Quigley handling it?"

The ASRIO leader glanced over at the blond, finding it the most pathetic thing he'd ever witnessed. "Well, he's not really handling it at all. Quiggers has completely lost it."

This made Tifa's eyes burn even more. "Poor guy."

"We got the info, though."

This was the only bright spot in the conversation. To know that there was not only a potential cure for cancer on its way, but also a treatment for her two most beloved men and her children gave some small measure of comfort. "At least it wasn't in vain."

"No, we'll save millions of lives if this pans out, and it will totally fuck Shinra's credibility." The ASRIO leader sighed, seeing that Quigley was coming out of his momentary quiet and into another bout of sobs. "Hey, I gotta go. Just keep Rayna busy between now and when I get there. Bye."

Tifa set the phone down and fell into Vincent's arms. "He wants us to go keep Rayna from leaving her room. I guess Porter's body is a mess and he doesn't want her to see it."

Vincent kissed the top of her head, fighting his own tears. Porter had been important in their lives and they had been friends. "All right. Did he give any indication to when they were going to land?"

"No, but we should go in case it's soon." Tifa pulled away from him and stood. "I'll change Charlotte first."

-----------------------

Jaras was walking back home with the wooden box containing Sephiroth's things in his arms. Jeanine and Aaron were going along with him.

"Jaras?" Jeanine asked quietly.

He just looked over at her.

"You've been really reserved since you put that outfit on earlier. Are you doing all right?" Jeanine met his cat like eyes, worried.

"We'll talk about it later," Jaras said simply, forcing a smile.

Aaron, after what he'd lived through with Tifa and Vincent as his parents didn't miss a beat. "That means it's something bad that you don't want me to hear about, but… you don't have to hide things from me."

His little brother's depth of perception never ceased to amaze Jaras. How unlike a six year old the boy honestly was. He glanced down at Aaron, his smile returning. "Fair enough." Jaras brought his gaze back up to Jeanine. "I'm not sure that the Mako treatment your father gave me the other day…did anything other than make me sick."

"Jaras?" She stopped walking and knit her brow.

"When I was looking in the mirror before…I saw something. I think I was hallucinating and I saw my reflection talking back to me and I came out from the mirror and tried to strangle myself." He looked down at the ground, ashamed to make this admission.

Jeanine felt her heart rate pick up. It was frightening to hear Jaras say something like this, and it was obvious that he was serious. "Why didn't you say something back at the house? We're going to have to talk to my dad about this and see if he can figure it out, Jaras!"

Aaron's eyes just switched between the adults. The notion that there could be something honestly wrong with his brother scared him.

"Let's just wait until the second treatment, okay?" Jaras wasn't willing to resign to his panic just yet. "Maybe…maybe the Mako is working and I'm just still a little messed up from being ill."

She saw something in her husband's eyes that worried her, and it was the fact that he didn't believe that what he'd just said was something he had any faith in at all. "You don't think that's the case though, do you?"

"No." Jaras hung his head. "I think…I think it could be the Jenova madness."

Aaron, having heard from Jaras himself about this before, was now mortified. "No…"

Seeing the tears that instantly came to the boy's eyes, Jaras dropped to his knees and set down the box. He placed his arms around Aaron and pulled him close. "Don't worry, little brother. I'll be all right. Somehow, I'll be just fine."

-----------------------

Rayna had awoken from a nap. She hadn't slept much the night before in her fear over the mission, but had finally submitted to her exhaustion. The hormones that she had been placed on to get her to ovulate before the egg collection she was scheduled to undergo in her and Porter's quest to have a baby were adding to her fatigue. The knocking on her door that had roused her from her rest came again and she got up, going over and answering.

Her tired eyes focused on her visitors. "Oh, hey guys."

Tifa forced a smile, doing her best to not display any hint of what she already knew. "I hope this isn't a bad time…"

Rayna tucked a few strands of her dark hair behind her ears and shook her head. "No, I was just laying down. What's up?"

Vincent decided to jump in, knowing that he was by far better at hiding his emotions than his wife. "We just thought we should come by."

"Oh, well, come on in." Rayna stepped aside and motioned over toward the couch.

Tifa and Vincent instantly complied, and sat where instructed. Rayna came over and held out her arms toward Tifa. "Can I hold the baby?"

Tifa nodded and handed over her daughter. "Sure thing."

Rayna took the baby and went over to the edge of her bed before sitting. "It's sorta funny that two dark haired parents like the two of you could have a baby like this."

Since this very fact had caused Tifa to initially make a grievous error regarding Charlotte's lineage, it wasn't one that Vincent was that keen on hearing. "My mother was blond."

"Oh, was she?" Rayna looked up and offered a smile. "If the fertility treatments end up working, I can't even imagine what our baby will look like. You never know, I guess."

Inwardly, Tifa absolutely withered to hear this statement. Unconsciously, she scooted over closer to Vincent and his arm was soon draped around her shoulders.

Rayna's eyes turned back to the baby. "So, are you two going to have anymore?"

Vincent knit his brow and frowned without thinking about it. "No."

Tifa looked up at him. Although she had no real intention of having anymore children, it hadn't been something that the two of them had discussed at all. Then again, Vincent hadn't even wanted this one originally. "No?"

He instantly realized his mistake and tensed his jaw. "Do you want more?"

Tifa shook her head. "Not really."

Vincent decided to let it go at that, and so did Tifa. Neither of them wished to carry on with any discussion that could carry the potential for a fight.

Rayna noticed the silence that had befallen her guests and she examined them, only now noticing how red Tifa's eyes seemed to be. "Tifa, are you all right? You look like you might have been crying."

Tifa's heart skipped a beat and she opened her mouth to try and say something, but once again, Vincent swooped in with the save.

"She's been having a terrible time with her allergies these last few days," he sighed, seeming completely nonchalant about the situation. "Tifa never remembers to bring her antihistamines when we leave home."

There were benefits to being with a former Turk, although this very ability for Vincent to cover the truth and not betray his honest feelings had cost them dearly over the years. At this moment, though, it was proving to be a blessing. "Yeah, I feel so stupid forgetting them."

Carrying on the lie a little further, Vincent jostled her slightly. "Perhaps we can go to the pharmacy and see if they can call your doctor to get a prescription made up later?"

Tifa looked up into his eyes and gave him a faint smile, grateful. "Maybe."

-----------------------

Reno felt the helicopter set down and the engines were cut. He had managed to coax Quigley up from the floor and into a seat, but he still had his left arm around the researcher. "Quig? We're home."

The blond sighed heavily and looked over at where Porter's body still remained on the floor, now surrounded by a considerable amount of blood. "Okay…"

"Do you want to go with me to go tell Rayna?" Reno asked gently, as the other men got up from their seats.

Quigley glanced down at himself. "I'd have to go change and take a shower, first. I…I can't go see her like this."

Reno realized that this was a wise idea, since Quigley was presently soaked with his dead friend's blood. "Do you want me to wait before seeing her so that you can go with me?"

Quigley shook his head and stood up unsteadily as the door on the side of the helicopter was pulled open by the others. "She needs to know now, Reno. Don't make her wait. I…I'll see her as soon as I get cleaned up a little."

Reno stood as well. "Okay."

Quigley gave one last look over at Porter's body and sighed. His friend's eyes still remained half-open, staring up unseeing. Porter's complexion had completely blanched out by now, making it absolutely undeniable what had happened.

The researcher got out of the helicopter and walked slowly toward his room. Along the way, he reached into his pocket and touched the CD that he'd brought from the lab. Knowing that he didn't want to take the disc to his room, he stopped by the lab for a moment and went in, placing the CD upon his desk before carrying on to his room. He made it a point to not accidentally glance at Porter's desk as he did so. It would have just looked terribly empty.

-----------------------

Just a short time later, Reno was standing before Rayna's door with Rude at his side. The ASRIO leader's eyes were bloodshot from his state of mourning and he turned them to his friend. "Guess I can't put this off."

"It wouldn't be fair to her," Rude said back quietly, his own tearstained eyes mercifully hidden behind the spare pair of sunglasses that he'd produced from his coat pocket on the way toward the base. Having been close to the deceased during Porter's years with the Shinra Company, Rude was being deeply hurt by the former Turk's death as well.

"Okay." Reno raised his hand and knocked.

Rayna got up from the edge of the bed and handed the baby back to Tifa. "I'll go see who that is."

Tifa took back the baby and her and Vincent exchanged a weary glance, knowing what was about to happen.

Rayna opened the door. "Oh…Reno? Where--"

There was only one reason why Reno would be there before her, looking like he did without Porter there, too, and that reality hit Rayna like a semi truck.

Reno, not able to stop himself, quickly stepped forward and threw his arms around Rayna as the color left her face and tears came to her eyes. "I'm sorry, Rayna."

Sitting where she was with Vincent, Tifa couldn't stop from breaking into sobs herself. Not only was it the fact that Porter had died that was upsetting her, but watching this reenactment of the moment that she had been told that Vincent was dead made those feelings crash back in on her.

Sensing this very thing, Vincent turned and put both of his arms around her, holding her close. To know that such a memory still burned within his wife touched something within him.

Rayna collapsed against Reno, unable to say anything. The pain inside her was all encompassing and she began to feel sick to her stomach. After a few moments, she ripped herself out of Reno's embrace and ran to the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. She fell to her knees before the toilet and wretched repeatedly until there was nothing left within her. When she finally was able to open her eyes, she was moderately surprised not to see her heart lying in the bowl before her with the former contents of her stomach, because that's what it felt like.

Tifa, knowing exactly what it was to go through what had just happened to Rayna passed the baby to Vincent and then got up. She went to the bathroom and didn't bother knocking, just opening the door and going in. Rayna was sitting on the floor next to the toilet, her back pressed against the under sink cabinetry. Her complexion was ghastly and her eyes overrun with tears.

Tifa came over and sat before the other woman. "Rayna?"

"I didn't want him to go…I asked him not to go…"

Letting a few more tears run down her cheeks, Tifa reached over and picked up one of Rayna's hands. "I know it's hard…"

Rayna shook her head. "My husband isn't going to show back up alive in a few days, Tifa. Yours did."

"But I didn't know that was going to happen." Tifa only wanted Rayna to know that she understood and that it was going to be all right…somehow. "Still, at least you know that he died for something important."

Having lost people in her life to cancer, Rayna knew this was true, still, for the time being, her heartache wouldn't allow that thought to grant her much in the way of comfort. "I don't care about that. I just want Joseph… We just signed for a house and we were so hopeful about having a baby…"

Tifa absent-mindedly stroked the back of Rayna's hand, sharing in her pain. She didn't honestly know what to say, and decided that maybe just being there was the best she could do.

Reno, in the meanwhile, looked over to where Vincent was sitting with the baby. "Hey, Vinny."

Vincent gave him some measure of acknowledgement before turning his eyes to Rude. "You're going to work here now?"

The large man offered a slight nod. "Looks that way."

Remembering how tight Reno and Rude had been back ages ago, Vincent wasn't all too surprised that they had ended up together after all. He turned his crimson eyes back to Reno. "What happened?"

"We were on our way out, going up the stairs." Reno came over and landed on the couch heavily next to Vincent. "Almost fuckin' made it, but Porter, I guess, was going just a little too slow since he's never really been right after getting shot by Hojo. Some fuckin' guard shot him in the back. Quiggers and Rude here managed to get him to the chopper, but he was gone within just a few minutes. Poor Quiggers is all fucked up."

"They were close." Vincent dropped his gaze down to the sleeping infant in his arms.

"They bordered on almost fuckin' gay for each other, that's how close they were." Reno rubbed his left eye with his hand as he leaned back into the cushions. "I'm not so sure that Quiggers is ever gonna be okay after seeing his best friend get nailed like that."

Vincent nodded knowingly. After seeing how Quigley had fallen apart over his brother's death, the second blow of losing Porter was bound to dramatically impact the researcher. A single thought came to mind and he locked gazes with his son-in-law. "Reno, where is Quigley?"

"Went to his room to get cleaned up. He was completely covered in Porter's blood." Reno's mouth pulled down into a painful frown.

"I think someone should probably be with him right now." Vincent shook his head. "You shouldn't have left him alone."

The ASRIO leader's eye moved away from Vincent and over toward the bathroom, where he could clearly see Porter standing in the doorway, watching the conversation that was taking place between Rayna and Tifa. Reno bit his bottom lip as he thought silently to himself, _I've started to figure out that none of us are ever fuckin' alone around here, Vinny._

Vincent took Reno's lack of an outward response as some sort of sign that he hadn't understood. "Reno?"

He continued to stare at the ghost's back.

Vincent reached out with his left hand and jabbed him in the shoulder. "Reno?"

Snapping himself back to the living, Reno looked over at Vincent once again. "Huh?"

"Quigley should not be alone right now." Vincent knit his brow. "Someone needs to keep an eye on him."

Reno cocked his head to the side. "You're not thinking that he'd commit…oh fuck…that thing where you kill yourself?"

"Suicide, Reno," Vincent said, used to Reno's brain derailments.

"Yeah!" Reno perked up. "You don't think he'd do that after this, right?"

"This alone? Probably not, but he's still really in a bad way from his brother's death," Vincent paused and looked away, knowing that he was responsible for that, "and he was fairly riddled with guilt over Cid being given that bogus drug. Those things combined with losing his best friend are going to be a little much for him to handle."

"Fuck, yeah," Reno sighed, standing back up. "Okay, I'm gonna go hang with him for a while. I know he wants to see Rayna pretty quick so I'd imagine we'll be back before too long."

Vincent nodded. "Good."

Rude watched as Reno left, not really feeling that it was his place to go and intrude in the researcher's mourning. He looked down at Vincent. "I've not seen you since the…termination of the Neo-Jenova Project."

Vincent offered him his faint smile. "No, but I understand that I owe you my thanks for helping with both Jaras and I recently."

"It was my job." Rude would have smiled, but expressions were generally only things that he displayed to those he was close with. Vincent was not such a person.

"I appreciate it nonetheless." Vincent shifted the baby in his arms.

"President Harwin ordered you and Jaras to be assassinated," Rude volunteered quietly.

Vincent cocked an eyebrow and looked up at him. "Did he?"

"Indeed." Rude pushed his glasses up higher. "However, you need not concern yourself with that."

"I think threats on my life and my son's are, in fact, something that I should concern myself with," Vincent replied.

"No, because shortly after giving me that order in private, Ferris Harwin had an unfortunate accident." Rude clasped his hands before him.

"An accident?" Vincent was savvy enough in Turk ways to know that when a Turk said 'accident', it was anything but.

"He was hit in the car, by a bullet. Terrible thing, really." Rude's voice never wavered or hinted at any remorse.

"Terrible," Vincent repeated, pleased with this. "He will not be missed by many."

"Other than by his whores and mistresses, no." Rude wanted again to smile, but suppressed it.

Vincent nodded approvingly. "My family owes you."

"As I said, it was an accident." Rude quirked an eyebrow. "There is no debt between us. Turks, past and present, must always look out for one another. We are the only ones upon whom we can rely."

This old Turk creed brought a smile to Vincent's lips, despite the tragedy of recent events.

-----------------------

Reno hurried down the hall until he reached Quigley's room. He knocked on the door but received no response. After a second and third bout of knocking, he actually grew fearful and pulled a key from his pocket. Once the door was unlocked, he stepped inside. "Quiggers?"

The bathroom door opened and Quigley peeked out, a towel around his waist. "You just come into my room even though the door's locked?"

"I was worried about you." Reno slipped the key back into his pocket and closed the door.

"Oh," Quigley sighed, and then flipped off the bathroom light, stepping forward. He went over to his closet and pulled out something to wear, throwing the clothes on the bed. "I just finished my shower."

From the fact that the blonde's hair was wet and he was wearing a towel, Reno was already well apprised of this situation, but he held his tongue from making any smart-ass remarks. Even the tactless Reno Sparks knew that this wasn't the time. "Okay."

Quigley retrieved some other things from the dresser and then sat on the edge of his bed, by where his chosen outfit was sprawled.

Reno was feeling more than a little awkward. "So, uh, hey… You have any idea about how long it might take you to figure out what you got from the computer today?"

"No, not yet." Quigley rested his elbows on his knees. "Did you tell Rayna?"

"Yeah."

Quigley's brown eyes panned up to the ASRIO leader. "Is she okay?"

He shrugged. "She flipped out, but… she's always been pretty tough."

"Do you think she'll stay here now that he's gone?" Quigley asked, not wanting one of the few people he honestly deemed as a friend to leave.

"I have no idea." Reno leaned back against the door. "Quiggers?"

His tired eyes just blinked back, anticipating the question to come.

"Are you gonna be okay?" Reno crossed his arms over his chest.

"I have to crack the formula on that CD and come up with a drug that actually works for both cancer and for what ails Vincent and the others, not only for their sake, but to make Porter's death mean something. So, for now, I have to keep on going for that reason alone." Quigley turned his gaze back to the floor before him.

Quigley's declaration of his intent to figure out the drug didn't really answer the ASRIO leader's question. "Yeah, but are _you_ going to be okay?"

He sighed and shrugged. "I've at least got Amy to be there for me."

Reno took a few steps closer. "You've got more than just Amy around to help you out."

Quigley knit his brow. "Aside from you, Rayna, and Angel, there's really not anyone else who even talks to me."

The need within Reno to tell someone, _anyone_, of what he knew regarding the dead burned within him. He had to confess it, even if it wasn't in a direct way. "Well, Porter's always going to be around on some level, too, Quiggers."

The blond, always having been methodically scientific, wasn't one to buy into those sappy statements. "He's dead, part of the Lifestream. Whatever unique consciousness he possessed is gone, Reno."

Feeling the distinct presence of the man in question standing just behind him, Reno's hackles rose, but he dared not turn around and look. "I wish you knew how wrong you are about that."

Quigley's eyes came up again, looking confused. "Huh?"

"Look, you need to get dressed, so," Reno closed his eye and placed careful emphasis on his next words, "I'm going to turn around and there will be no one between the door and I. I'll wait for you in the hall, Quig, and then I'll take you to see Rayna. Got it?"

The researcher had a feeling that what Reno had just said wasn't entirely meant for him and he was somewhat perplexed. However, he just racked it up to the fact that Reno was, first, strange to begin with, second, carrying several bullet fragments in his head, and lastly, probably more than a little stressed. "Okay, I'll be out in a minute."

Reno opened his eye and nodded before turning around. Mercifully, there was no one between the door and himself and he exited the room to give the blond some privacy in which to dress. "Cool beans."


	49. Chapter 49

Go back and read Chapter 48 if you haven't.

Chapter 49

Vincent was with Tifa and the baby the following day, having breakfast in a restaurant in Costa. He knit his brow and looked at his wife. "What do you want us to do?"

"I thought we were going home today?" Tifa met his gaze, wondering what was on his mind.

"That's what I intended, but now…I mean, if they have the cure, I want to be here when it's ready. Maybe it won't take Quigley that long to get it sorted out." Vincent pushed back his plate, done.

"I can't believe poor Quigley has just gone back to work in the lab already. I would have thought he'd take a few days off to sort through his feelings. He's really messed up over this whole Porter thing." Tifa blinked momentarily, pushing back the tears.

"I know, but maybe it's all he can do to function right now. Some people do that, they keep themselves busy after things like this so that they don't have to think about it." Vincent looked down at the baby who was next to his seat in her carrier.

"I guess."

"So, do you wish for us to stay or to go home?" Vincent asked.

With Vincent still needing, at the very least, some more treatments of the original Anti-Chaos drug and with Cid in the base as well, she was reluctant to go just yet. "Well, maybe we should give it a few days. I'd really like you to get the rest of your injections here rather then at home."

He nodded slightly. "Then we will remain."

"I called Aaron this morning."

Vincent met his wife's gaze once more. "Is he doing all right?"

"He sounded fine." Tifa picked up her napkin from the table and began to shred it. "I miss him, though."

"I think we'll be able to have him come back to us soon, Tifa." Vincent reached over and took one of her hands. "So far, things have been…easier."

She nodded in agreement. Both Vincent and herself had been on their good behavior. "They have."

They got up and paid the bill before stepping outside. As they walked toward the base, Tifa recognized someone coming their way. "Hey, that's Rayna…"

Vincent spotted the woman in question, just in time to see her walk through the door to a doctor's office. "I hope she's all right."

Tifa read the name on the door that Rayna had gone through, noticing that the letters R.E. followed the rest of the doctor's credentials. "I wonder what that means?"

Vincent hadn't the slightest clue, and didn't really care all that much. "I don't know."

-----------------------

Reno was sitting at his desk in the main room of the ASRIO base, Rude taking up the chair that sat before it. They were immersed in a brief silence, which the redhead eventually broke. "So, what do you think?"

Never having been inside the base before arriving with the mission team, Rude had already come to a conclusion. "Not bad, but it's a little claustrophobic."

"Well, that's the price you pay to live underground." Reno offered his friend his lopsided smile.

"I suppose." Rude shrugged. "It seems fairly secure, though."

"Yeah, we haven't had any trouble, although I think it's more than a little amusing that Shinra hasn't come to bust our ass since surely they know where we are after that whole thing with Vinny and Sephiroth." Reno leaned back in his chair and put his feet up on his desk.

"Well, there's a reason for that." Rude produced a faint smile for his friend. "Sephiroth never bothered to disclose the location of the base to Dr. Methius before coming back here with Vincent under the guise of having escaped the lab."

"What?" Reno knit his brow, a painful maneuver in light of his recent injury. "So he, Vinny, and Spence were turned loose to come here and try and get the names of my people, but they never told Dr. Methius where _here_ was?"

"Isn't that just what I said?" Rude crossed his arms over his chest. "Sephiroth withheld that information to use as leverage for a later time, I would imagine."

The way that luck sometimes strangely went in Reno's favor made him grin. "That's real fuckin' good to know, Rude."

"I'm full of all kinds of insight." Rude got up from his seat. "So, have you given any thought to who is going to replace Porter as your second in command?"

Reno's expression fell instantly. "Well, the two obvious choices were Ericson or Quigley, but…"

"But what?" Rude cocked his head to the side.

"Well, Quigley isn't really one to want such a job." Reno shifted his position in his seat. "And Ericson…well hell, Ericson lives to go on missions. I'd never be able to keep him off of a team so, I'd sorta always be in the bad position of having a second that was in danger, you know. I mean, back in the day, both Tseng and I would go in on missions together, but since he died and things have happened, well, I figure having both first and second going into danger is a bad idea."

Something about this hit Rude hard. It was the fact that Reno had, at least on some level, become _responsible_. "You need someone who wouldn't be interested in going on missions, then?"

"Yup."

"And someone who knows how the operation works?" Rude leaned forward slightly.

"Uh-huh."

"And preferably someone who also understands a good deal about Shinra?" His eyes narrowed behind his glasses.

"Right." Reno sighed deeply. "I just don't fuckin' know… We've got a lot of people in ASRIO, but there are few that I know really well-- at least, good enough to know that I can trust them with that sort of position."

The left corner of Rude's mouth tugged down into an annoyed frown. Reno was, apparently, still an idiot on many levels. "What about m--"

Reno bolted up from his seat, his eye wide. "Oh my God! How about you, Rude? You wanna?"

The larger man huffed and shook his head. Reno had always been about a half step behind the group. A smile came to his lips. "I'd be honored."

"Cool!" Reno reached over and picked his phone up from the desk. "I'm going to tell Angel."

-----------------------

Angel was with Cid in the infirmary, administering his daily injection. He'd handled that morning's dose with more bravado than before and was sitting on the edge of a bed, holding a small bandage over the injection site.

Vincent and Tifa stopped in, having learned from Jin that Cid was here. The pilot had apparently refused to let his wife come along with him, not wanting her to see him if he were to get light headed again.

When Cid's eyes landed upon Tifa, he offered her a smile. "Hey."

"Good morning, Cid." She went up to his side, Vincent right behind her. "Already done?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

Tifa spotted Angel on the other side of the room. "Angel? If a doctor has the letters R.E. after their name, what's that mean?"

"Reproductive endocrinologist," she said back, walking over. "Fertility specialist."

Tifa's eyes went wide, "Oh, okay."

"Why do you ask?" Angel was curious.

"We saw Rayna out this morning, and she went into an office that had that on the door," she replied.

Angel nodded knowingly. "Do you know that she and Porter were looking into trying to have a baby?"

Tifa and Vincent both nodded in unison, aware of this.

"Well, it was something that Janice, Quigley, and the R.E. up in town were all working on. Since Janice left, though, the R.E. has taken the whole thing over." Angel came over and checked Cid's arm, making sure that it hadn't been bruised from the injection.

"So…are you saying that even though Porter's dead…she's still going to go through with trying?" Tifa crossed her arms over her chest.

Angel raised her eyebrows and shrugged. "They already had his sample on ice…"

Tifa shuddered at the thought. The idea of conceiving and then carrying the baby of someone deceased seemed unappealing to her. "But…if it works, the baby won't have a father. That's sad…"

"I know, but it's honestly her choice and she was already undergoing the hormone treatments to help her ovulate so they could do an egg collection. She talked to me about it a little this morning and she told me that she'll go through the first round of in vitro fertilization and if it works, then great, if not, she'll let it go." Angel freed Cid's arm and turned to the other woman. "She's hurting right now, and doing this is something to help her get her mind off of what happened. That's what it amounts to. Chances are, it won't work on the first try, so, you know."

"Poor Rayna." Tifa slipped her arm around Vincent's waist, once more feeling the pain she'd experienced when she'd been told that he'd been killed.

Vincent looked down into her eyes. "We should probably go feed the baby."

"Okay." Tifa gave him a smile before looking at Cid. "See you later."

Cid nodded. "Yeah, okay."

-----------------------

Quigley was sitting at his desk, a small vial filled with a blue liquid sitting before him. It was the very vial of ferium that had been taken from his brother prior to his death. Now, Quigley was wondering exactly what it was like to be on the drug, since its claim to fame was the annihilation of emotions. That was something that he honestly felt he could use at the moment.

Reno rushed in, leaving the door open behind him. He scanned Quigley's desk and grabbed the vial before the researcher had a chance to hide it away. "What the fuck, Quiggers?"

It seemed as through Reno had somehow known what he was contemplating and had come in just for the purpose of stopping him. "Nothing, it was just still here from Spencer."

"Bullshit!" Reno threw the vial down and to the concrete floor, shattering it. "He fuckin' told me that you were in here about to do something stupid!"

Quigley knit his brow. He'd been alone in the lab all day and there was no one that could have been aware of what he was considering. "Who told you what?"

Reno, in his upset state, had allowed the previous statement to spew forth, without having given thought to the way it would sound to others. "No one…I just had a feeling that you'd try something like this. I know you're pretty fucked up right now, but getting hooked on that stuff isn't going to do you any good."

"I wasn't actually going to use the ferium, Reno." Quigley had an unsettled feeling. Reno just didn't seem _right_.

"Well, Tseng and Por-- er, I, uh…" Reno's train of thought became completely derailed in his over emotional state and he realized that he'd almost just flat out told the researcher that both Tseng and Porter had seen him with the ferium and were worried.

"Reno, are you doing okay?" Quigley asked, slowly standing up from behind his desk.

"Yeah, I'm just…you know. The mission and all." Reno turned away, knowing that the other man was looking at him like he rode the short bus.

Quigley, struggling with his own misery over having watched Porter die in his arms could accept that as an answer. "Seriously, Reno, I wasn't going to use it. I was just thinking, that's all."

"Well, just for the hell of it, do you still have the vial that was confiscated from Vincent here?" Reno relaxed, feeling that Quigley was probably telling the truth.

The blond nodded and then went over to a locked cabinet. He opened it and pulled out the second and last vial. "Do you want the honors?"

"You know, it was kind of a stress reliever to do it, I think you should give it a try." Reno offered him a smile.

Quigley knit his brow and stepped out into an open area of floor, then hurling the vial to the ground as Reno had done before. The small glass item shattered, its liquid contents wetting the floor. Upon doing this, Quigley sighed heavily. "Of course, now I have to clean this mess up."

"Don't worry about it." Reno went over to a counter and grabbed a handful of paper towels and one of the lab's small wastebaskets. He knelt on the floor and got to the task of picking up the bits of broken glass and wiping up the ferium.

Quigley watched him do this in silence, never having seen Reno do such a thing.

After a few minutes, the messes from the broken vials were taken care of and Reno stood back up. "There."

"Reno?"

He looked up in the researcher's brown eyes. "Yeah?"

Quigley walked over toward the compounding machine. "I plugged the formula for the cure into the machine last night. It's making the drug right now."

The ASRIO leader was amazed. "All ready? Are you serious? You managed to break down the formula and get it programmed in overnight?"

Quigley nodded. "I did."

"Holy fuck, man!" Reno was beyond amazed. "How long until the machine has it made?"

He reached out and ran his hand along the top of the compounder. "A day, maybe less. I've made it to work on Vincent. He told me that he wanted to be the first to try it. If it works on him, I'll make up a batch specific for the glitch in Cid's DNA, then Aaron. After that, we'll have to find someone with cancer, and get a DNA sample from one of their tumors and we can go on to see if it does what it's supposed to do there, too."

"This is amazing, Quiggers." Reno went forward and placed his hand on the blonde's shoulder. "Really amazing."

He drew in a jagged breath. "Well, I just wanted to get this underway. If it works, if it really works on those damn demons and then on cancer…then after we release the formulation, I…"

"You what?" Reno urged him on, letting his hand fall back to his side.

"I'm taking Amy and we're leaving." Quigley shrugged. "I don't think I can stand being here after that, and Amy…well, after what she saw and had done to her while in the Junon facility, she's done, too."

Reno bit his bottom lip. Losing Quigley was going to be a huge blow to the organization-- the man was a genius. However, he understood that everyone had their limits and Quigley had, justifiably so, reached his. "I'm not really surprised to hear that, Quiggers, but I'll hate to see you go."

"Well, if you ever get in a bind or need help with something, I'll make sure that you always can get a hold of me. I'll still offer my knowledge when I can, but I can't be in this base…in this lab much longer." His eyes burned with tears, as he switched his gaze over to Porter's desk, still sitting as it had when he'd last been there.

Reno saw the depression around the other man deepen. "You and Port…you guys were real fuckin' close…"

"Yeah," Quigley turned away from his boss and wiped his eyes, "I don't think that other than Rayna anyone really knows how close. He…he was the best damned friend I've ever had-- that I'll ever _have_."

"I'm sorry, Quig." Reno wanted to do something to comfort him, but suddenly was overwhelmed with his usual awkwardness in such situations. He looked away from the blond and spotted Porter standing over in the corner.

Porter knit his brow, knowing what Quigley needed. "Give him a hug, Reno."

"No!" Reno shook his head, getting used to being haunted and thus, coming to the point where he didn't think much of replying. "I already had one panic attack when you told me to come here earlier so--"

Quigley slowly turned around and looked at the ASIRO leader. "Reno? Who are you talking to?"

Reno wondered exactly how far he should push his luck, but he felt like not telling was going to drive him insane-- if he wasn't already. "Okay, here's the thing."

Quigley crossed his arms over his chest, waiting for the explanation.

"You're not going to believe me when I say this, but," Reno swallowed hard and motioned over toward where Porter was still standing in the shadows. "I…I see him, Quigley. I see him and I see Tseng. I see them all the fuckin' time."

Quigley figured this was just one of Reno's tasteless and ill timed jokes. "Oh, haha, yeah. Nice. You see dead people. Very good, Reno. I've seen the Sixth Sense. Boy, what a knee slapper."

Reno frowned. "He's right the fuck over there, Quiggers. I'm not messing with you!"

Quigley huffed and went over toward where Reno was pointing. "Over here?"

"Yeah, he's right behind you."

The researcher rolled his eyes and took a step back, occupying the corner. As he did so, a chill came over his skin and he suddenly felt cold. There was a presence around him and it was more than a little unsettling. Quickly, he stepped away. "Oh fuck, now I'm losing my mind, too. Thanks."

"You felt him, didn't you?" Reno moved a little closer, not having expected Quigley to react as he had when walking into Porter's ghost.

Quigley, confounded and scared by something that he had no logical explanation for, slowly extended his right hand into the space where he'd just made contact with some unseen force. The chill returned to his skin as he did this, but when he withdrew his hand again, it stopped. "This…this isn't happening." He turned to Reno. "Please tell me your messing with me and I'm not really feeling him…"

Reno made a strange expression and shrugged a little. "Well, you are, but I'm not sure he wants you to go sticking your hand in the middle of his chest again."

"Okay, that's it." Quigley backed up from the corner. "I…This is fucked up. I know you're just messing with me and because I'm so damned stressed…my mind's making stuff up. I'm going to bed for a while."

"Quig!" Reno wanted to stop the researcher from just walking out, but failed to get to him before he managed out the door. He looked over at Porter. "Great. Someone's going to find out about this, now, and I'm going to be committed."

Porter simply vanished.

"Gah!" Reno threw up his hands in his frustration. "Would someone just shoot me and do it right?"


	50. Chapter 50

I do apologize for the typos in this--it's very late and I'd rather get this up tonight than wait until tomorrow…I've been slacking. I've been…bad.

Chapter 50

Angel was sitting on the couch in her and Reno's home, an ice pack resting on her forehead as she lounged on her back. Presently, she was suffering from one of her knock down migraines, but since she was pregnant, she didn't dare take anything for it. Sometimes, she'd found out, the best way to deal with the pain was just to lay down and tune out, and she was doing a fairly good job of it, until the doorbell rang.

Dana came bounding in from another part of the house. "Want me to see who it is, Mommy?"

Angel just lifted her hand and waved, indicating yes.

Not shy in the least, Dana skipped off down the hall and opened the door. She came back a few moments later. "Mommy, it's Quiggers."

Deciding that her rest was over, Angel sat up and set the ice pack onto the coffee table. She locked gazes with her daughter. "What have I told you about calling him that? He doesn't like it."

"Daddy does it." Dana didn't see any reason why she shouldn't be allowed to do things as her father did.

"That doesn't matter." Angel slowly stood up, wincing as the stabbing sensation in her head worsened. "Don't call him that."

Dana huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. "Fine, Mister Sharday is here."

Angel patted the girl on the head as she walked to go see what the researcher wanted.

Once at the door, she offered Quigley a smile, despite how she felt. "Hey, what are you doing here?"

Quigley was obviously uncomfortable about something. "Can I come in and talk to you about something?"

Angel stepped aside and let him enter. "Sure."

They went into the family room and both sat on the couch there.

"What's on your mind, Quigley?" Angel asked, wondering if this had to do with Porter.

"I thought about even telling you this, but decided that I needed to." Quigley squirmed where he sat, obviously not well with what he felt he had to discuss with Angel.

She was able to appreciate that he was acting strangely, and wondered what was going on. "Okay, go on."

"Reno…" Quigley leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees, "he said something today and maybe he was joking, but…"

"But what?"

"I'm not entirely sure that he was joking at all." He turned his head and locked into her gaze. "Angel, he tried to tell me that he can see Porter and Tseng."

Angel knit her brow, remembering how Porter himself had come to her to say that he'd caught Reno talking to himself not so long ago. "But he seemed serious?"

Quigley nodded a little. "Yeah."

Angel stood up, her headache now doubling. "Fuck…"

Knowing that it wasn't like Angel to curse, Quigley grew worried. "Angel?"

She spun around and faced him. "You're…you're not the first one to say something like this."

"I'm not?" Quigley got up as well, and took a few steps toward her.

"No." She shook her head and crossed her arms over her chest. "Look, I'll talk to him tonight to see if he was just being an idiot or if he's…"

The researcher saw the tears that immediately came to her eyes. He reached out and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Angel?"

"It's okay." After offering him a forced smile, she shrugged. "I'm just stressed with being pregnant and all…and the prospect that my husband might be insane…"

Now, Quigley felt downright terrible about having said anything to her. "I'm sorry…"

They met each other's gazes as they heard the front door to the house open and then slam shut. From the footsteps coming down the hall, they both knew that it was Reno.

Quigley frowned for a moment. "I should probably go so you can talk to him alone."

She simply nodded and then watched as he headed out.

Reno stopped as he ran into Quigley. "Hey…what are you doing here? You're not nailing my woman, right?"

The blond couldn't help but laugh a little. "No, I was just checking in with her. I need to get back to the base, though."

"Okay, bye." Reno let him pass and then went over to Angel, placing his arms around her. "Hey, Babe."

Angel embraced him in return, resting her aching head upon his shoulder. "Reno…"

There was something in her tone that immediately struck a chord within him. Reno brought his wife out to arm's length and looked into her eyes. "Babe?"

"Sit down."

He quickly did as ordered, looking up at her. "What's up?"

Angel gathered her thoughts for a moment, before crossing her arms over her chest and looking at him. "People have…noticed something about you since you were shot."

The ASRIO leader just blinked up at her. "Like?"

"Before the mission, Porter came to me." She moved and sat beside him. "He told me that he saw you standing in the base, carrying out a conversation with absolutely no one."

He tensed his jaw, not knowing what to say, but suddenly knowing why Quigley had been there.

"And Quigley just told me that you said to him that you can see both Porter and Tseng." Angel reached over and placed her hand upon his leg. "Reno, please tell me that you were just joking with him…"

His expression turned absolutely pitiful and he dropped his gaze to the floor. "Oh…"

"Reno," Angel reached up and touched the left side of his face, making him look at her again. "Tell me you were just messing with him."

He couldn't lie. Of all the people in the world, Reno was facing the only one that he couldn't lie to, and inwardly, he cursed himself for what he was about to say. "Babe, I don't know how to say this without you thinking that I'm completely nuts, but…"

Tears were in her eyes again. "But what, Reno?"

"I do." He closed his eye and hung his head. "I see them. They talk to me. I'm not fuckin' around."

She let the tears fall. There was something profoundly wrong with Reno if he was hallucinating to that extreme. Instantly, she regretted having allowed him to reattain his status within ASRIO. "Reno…there's something wrong with you. You need to get help for this otherwise you're going to have to resign your position."

"There's nothing wrong with me, Angel!" He looked up and into her eyes again. "They're real. Yeah, the injury did something to me, Babe, but they're really there, talking to me. Tseng even told me something that I didn't know, and then I found out that it was true. If I was just making them up, he wouldn't have been able to do that."

She knew that he was being sincere, which scared her. Whatever was going on was real to him, signifying that he was having some severe disorder going on. "Reno, you'll have to see someone about this. I'm taking you to go see Dr. Zennell."

Reno knew that name well. It was the local shrink that some of his men had been referred to before. "I'm not crazy…"

"Reno, you just sat here and told me that you're seeing dead men and that they're talking to you." Angel wiped her eyes. "That's not normal, and you didn't do it before you got shot."

He gave passing thought at that point of telling her that he had been going to Tseng's room for years and imagining talking to him all along, but that, he didn't think would help his situation. "Fine, I'll go see him."

"Good. I'm going to go take Dana to Jessie's, and then we'll go." Angel gave him a kiss on the lips quickly before getting up to go get their little girl taken care of.

------------------------

Jeanine had gone out grocery shopping and came home, immediately sensing that something was wrong. Sitting on the front porch was every mirror from within the house, wrapped in newspaper and duct tape. Aaron was sitting out on the lawn, reading a book that Jaras had let him have from the store.

She went in and set the grocery bags down in the kitchen and put them away, before going to look for her husband. Jeanine found him in the bathroom, placing the last bit of tape over the newspaper that he'd covered the large and unremovable mirror with in there. "Jaras?"

He looked over at her and smiled, acting as though nothing was wrong. "You're back?"

"Obviously." She motioned toward the mirror. "Do I want to know what's going on?"

The color instantly drained from his complexion and he knit his brow. "Jeanine…it happened again. I was in here just to take a shower, and my reflection started talking back to me and…and Sephiroth came out of the mirror to try and grab me."

Jeanine gasped and covered her mouth with her hands. "Jaras…"

"I know, it upset me, I assure you." He set down the tape roll and sighed heavily. "I supposed that if I couldn't see myself in the mirror, maybe it wouldn't happen again. Once I get the rest of the Jenova out of me…I'm hoping that it will stop."

"I think we should go see my dad and have him run a test on you just to see where you stand with the level of Jenova, Jaras," she said quietly, letting her hands fall back to her sides.

He nodded and smiled. "That's fine."

"Okay, let's go." Jeanine reached out and took his hand.

They walked out of the house. Aaron was still in the same spot that he'd been when Jeanine had gotten home.

"Aaron?"

The boy looked up and over at his older brother. "Yes?"

"We have to go somewhere for a few minutes. Are you all right to stay here?" he asked.

Aaron, quite content with what he was up to, smiled. "Yeah, I'm good."

"Okay, we'll see you." Jaras walked off with his wife.

They reached her father's clinic after a while, where he was working with Janice sitting idly by.

Brandon looked at his daughter and Jaras. "Is something wrong?"

"Can you run a test to see if the amount of Jenova in Jaras has at all dropped since his treatment?" Jeanine remained at her husband's side.

"Why?" Brandon crossed his arms over his chest and met his son-in-law's gaze. "What's going on?"

"I've had something happen." Jaras was ashamed to discuss it, and it showed. "I feel like I'm suffering the onset of Jenova madness."

"And this started after the treatment?" Brandon asked.

"Yes."

"That makes no sense, Jaras." Brandon was perplexed.

"I know, but…but what if something was done to the Jenova that was injected into me as to make it immune to Mako?" Jaras frowned and narrowed his eyes, not willing to outright say that Sephiroth had told him this.

"I don't see how Jenova could be altered in any way that would do that, Jaras." Brandon shook his head. "I'll run the test, though, if it will make you feel better."

"I'd appreciate that." Jaras produced a smile and went over to sit on one of the clinic's beds.

The old man came over a few minutes later and took a small blood sample from Jaras' arm. With that in hand, he vanished into the small lab that he had set up in the clinic and got to running the test.

Jeanine and Jaras remained together, awaiting the answer in a nervous silence. Janice was sitting some distance from them, flipping through one of the old magazines that was lying around.

Brandon came out a while later and looked over at Janice. "Can you come here for a moment?"

She nodded and got up, going to his work area with him.

"Look," he ordered, pointing at his microscope.

Dr. Arlin did as asked, and looked through the eyepieces at the blood film. "What am I looking at?"

"That's what I just got from Jaras."

She examined it for a few moments. There was nothing unusual. His red cells had all stained uniformly and were consistant in size. There were white cells scattered about, but they, too, looked completely normal. "It looks fine to me."

"Exactly." Brandon reached over and turned off the light to the microscope as Janice straightened back up. "It's absolutely normal. There's not one hint of any Jenova cells on that smear. Not even one."

Janice nodded. "So, the Mako treatment worked?"

"Yeah, I don't even see a reason after looking at that to even bother with the other two treatments. He's clean." Brandon frowned. "That's bad."

Dr. Arlin understood all too well. "Because that means it's all psychological, then."

"Whatever has happened to make him think that he's beginning to undergo Jenova madness is all in his head, yes." Brandon sighed. "I'll get Jeanine."

He looked out into the clinic and waved his daughter over.

"Well?" she asked, anxious for some answer.

Brandon looked into her eyes. "The test is completely negative."

Jeanine couldn't quite accept this. "It…it can't be… Dad, he's seeing things."

"He's actually seeing things?" Brandon hadn't been aware of this.

"Yes." Jeanine was scared. "What does it mean, then?"

"You tell me, Jeanie." Brandon looking into his daughter's eyes. "You're the psychologist."

Her heart instantly began to race and her hands were shaking. "Maybe…maybe it's just stress from what he'd gone through when he was kidnapped."

"Perhaps." The old man went and sat on the counter. "It could have to do with the Mako he ingested, too. That can have mental effects. After all, he lost his memory for seven years after his immersion in the Lifestream. Who's to say that it couldn't cause hallucinations or such?"

"Right." Jeanine huffed. "Okay, I'll go tell him. If it was just from the Mako, then it shouldn't get any worse and eventually, it should go away."

"If it's from the Mako, yes." Janice felt bad for the other woman, seeing how stressed she was. "Most likely, that's what it is and he'll be fine."

Jeanine nodded. "Good. I'll go talk to him and take him back home."

------------------------

Quigley returned to the base and went to his lab, to check on the compounding machine's progress. He looked at the display, seeing that the drug was almost complete. Pleased with this one small bit of good news, he collapsed behind his desk and let his head fall forward, hitting the wood surface with a resounding thud.

"That's not good for you, sweetie."

He looked up, his eyes reflecting his exhaustion. It was Amy. "Oh, hey."

She came over and sat on the edge of his desk. "Quig, you've really been burning the candle at both ends since…you know."

The blond propped his head up on his arms. "I know, but…I've had to keep my mind occupied."

Amy pushed aside some of the things on his desk and then laid on her side, facing him. "I could keep you occupied."

He smiled at her offer, but that was just something that he knew he couldn't manage for the time being. "I'm sorry…"

"It's all right. You've been through a lot lately." Amy reached over and touched the side of his face. "I've…I've just missed you."

"I guess I haven't been a lot of fun as a boyfriend, huh?" he closed his eyes at her touch.

"You've done fine, you've had good reason."

"Well, once this drug is made up and Vincent, Cid, and the boy are all helped, then…then I'm done. I told Reno today that I wanted to go after this and that you did, too." Quigley looked at her again.

Amy visibly winced at this news. "How'd he react to that? I know you're really important to this place."

"He took it surprisingly well. I told him that I'd still offer my services as a consultant when needed, and that seemed to help." Quigley's tiredness was crushing in on him as his body was finally faltering in his stress. He yawned and stretched slightly.

"Quigley, I think you need to get to bed." She got off the desk and stood up.

"I tried laying down earlier, and I just ended up staring at the ceiling for two hours." He rubbed at his eyes.

"Well, I'll make sure that you have something better to look up at than the ceiling. Come on," she said, extending a hand toward him.

Stressed, tired, and in mourning or not, something in her body language caught his attention. He took her hand and got up, letting her lead him from the room.


	51. Chapter 51

I'm sorry if this story is getting stupid. It's almost over, really it is.

Chapter 51

Jaras smiled as his wife came back and sat next to him. "So?"

She picked up one of his hands and looked into his eyes. "Jaras, there's absolutely no trace of Jenova in you whatsoever."

He shook his head and frowned. "No, that's not right!"

"It is, the Mako treatment the other day worked." She reached up and touched the side of his face. "Whatever's bothering you, it's not Jenova madness."

"But Sephiroth…and…" He looked completely lost.

"Jaras, the Mako itself can cause mental side effects. You know that." Jeanine moved a little closer to him.

"But it feels just like it did all those years ago… It has to be the Jenova." Jaras was starting to feel sick to his stomach.

She considered him for a moment. There was the lingering possibility in the back of her mind that Jaras was, simply put, losing his mind-- Jenova, Mako, or otherwise. "Well, there's no Jenova in you. It should get better within a few days. All we can do is wait and see, okay?"

He closed his eyes and sighed heavily. Jaras really did feel something horribly wrong within his mind, and life felt as though it was honestly getting out of control. "I don't really have a choice."

"Let's go home." Jeanine stood up and extended a hand toward him to help him up.

Reluctantly, Jaras followed.

-------------------------------

Reno sat with his wife beside him, being faced with Dr. Zennell.

"So, you claim that not only are they talking to you, but you've been passed information by them that you otherwise didn't know?" the psychologist asked, steepling his fingers before him.

"Right, that's what I said." Reno was sitting with his arms folded across his chest, irritated that he kept being asked questions of things he'd just said.

Angel, picking up on his annoyance, placed a hand upon his knee. "Calm down."

"Mr. Sparks," the doctor crossed his legs and cleared his throat, "it's possible that these so-called 'unknown' things that they are telling you are in fact, things that you knew in your subconscious."

"I didn't have a fuckin' clue over the stuff I've been told!" Reno had gone through quite enough.

"I know this is all very frustrating to you right now, Mr. Sparks, but you have to remember, you suffered a considerable brain injury. What you may honestly believe might not really be happening. I mean, before this happened, would you have believed someone if they told you that they were talking to the dead?" the doctor asked.

"Well, no, but…" He looked over at Angel, hoping that she'd bail him out of this.

"I think it's very important that we get to the bottom of this quickly." Dr. Zennell got up from his chair and went over to his desk, picking up Reno's file. "I'm going to recommend that you be admitted to the hospital here so that we can run some tests and see if there's a reason for what you've been experiencing."

Reno shook his head and his eye grew wide. "You're gonna throw me in the loony bin?"

"We are admitting you to the hospital, Mr. Sparks. This may be something that can be corrected with some treatment and possibly medication." The doctor reached back and pushed some sort of call button on his desk.

"I'm not crazy! Babe! Tell him! Tell him I'm not crazy!" Reno was looking at her, desperate for any help.

After hearing the entire two hour conversation that had just occurred between the doctor and her husband, Angel couldn't hide the tears anymore. Everything that she had heard had, more or less, confirmed it for her that Reno was, indeed, mentally ill. "Reno, please, don't make this any worse…"

Reno's heart rate skyrocketed and he leapt up from his seat. "You're not gonna stand by me? You…you think I'm crazy, too? Everyone thinks I'm nuts?"

The doctor looked over at Angel. "Paranoia-- not uncommon with this sort of thing. Do we have your consent, Mrs. Sparks?"

Reno froze and looked at his wife. "Consent? Consent for what?"

Angel just nodded and closed her eyes. "Yes."

The doctor hit one more button on his desk, and the door opened, two male nurses appearing. "Mr. Sparks, they will show you to your room so that you can get settled in."

"No…" Reno raised his hands in defense. "I'm not going!"

Angel got up and placed her hands on his shoulders. "Reno, just let them run the tests, all right? It's not a big deal."

Seeing the look in her eyes, his resolve to fight his way out of this withered. If it's what Angel wanted, then he would do it, no matter how terrified he was. "Fuck…Babe…"

"It's going to be all right, Reno." She forced a smile. "I won't leave you, okay?"

He was shaking, his complexion flushed in his stress. "Damn it…"

---------------------------------

Quigley went back into the lab after dinner with Amy and walked over to the compounding machine. He examined the display and to his surprise, it was done. "Great!"

The researcher opened the machine and pulled out the small vial of medication within it. He held it up and inspected it, seeing that the liquid within it was a light purple color.

Suddenly, an overwhelming cold came over him as Porter's ghost walked up behind the blond, to have a look at the drug as well.

Quigley, instantly getting the willies, turned around, seeing that no one was there, but feeling Porter's distinct presence. The thought that Reno perhaps hadn't been joking or simply insane crossed his mind. Feeling a little stupid for doing so as it went against every logical bone in his body, he quietly whispered out, "P…Port?"

There was no response.

Quigley sighed and hung his head, not really having expected any sort of reply.

Then, some of the papers sitting on Porter's desk were moved aside.

Quigley felt his hackles rise. Porter would always sit on the edge of his desk when talking, always moving whatever papers that might be in his way to the position they now took up.

Quigley felt his blood run cold. There was no vent that could have moved the papers…and he was scared. "Port?"

Nothing.

The blond steeled himself and went closer to the desk, immediately being overwhelmed with the cold feeling again. Quigley suddenly flashed with a thought. If the cold was real and not just a figment of his imagination, then it could be measured. Still feeling frightened and stupid, Quigley made a simple request. "Port…stay there, okay?"

Porter, invisible to his friend, crossed his arms over his chest, keeping exactly where he was on the edge of his desk.

Quigley went over to a drawer and pulled out a digital thermal scanner. He turned it on and took a reading of the ambient temperature of the room.

It read sixty-eight degrees Fahrenheit.

Seeing that it was working, he then held it out before him and started toward Porter's desk. Surely enough, once he was close, the reading dropped-- a lot.

When the digits quit changing, the reading leveled out at forty-one.

Forty-one.

There was no reason for this one spot in the room to be twenty-seven degrees colder than the rest of the room. Quigley moved around, and found that the temperature reading instantly went back to sixty-eight. Once more feeling like an ass, but strangely excited at the possibility, he asked, "Okay, now, go over by the compounder."

After waiting a while, Quigley then went toward the machine. Once again, the reading dropped right back down to forty-one.

"Holy crap…" he whispered under his breath. "Port…you're really there?"

There was no response.

Quigley didn't need any, though. He asked Porter to move to one more place, and once more he was able to track him with the scanner. Knowing that he had to go vindicate Reno, Quigley flew out of the lab and out to go find Angel.

He searched the entire base and then went up and to their house, but couldn't find any sign of either Angel or Reno whatsoever. Finally, he pulled his phone out of his pocket and decided to simply give calling a shot. He hit Angel's number and waited.

"Hello?"

He sat on the steps outside the ASRIO leader's home. "Angel? Where are you?"

She looked over her shoulder to where Reno was sitting on his hospital bed, looking absolutely fit to be tied. "The hospital."

"Is something wrong?" Quigley asked, concerned.

"Reno's just going to be evaluated a bit."

The researcher sighed heavily. He didn't know what he was going to say that was going to come out not making him seem as insane as Reno. His mind grasped at straws. "Just wait, don't let them do anything to him yet. I…I uh, just checked into some things and…"

"And what?" Angel turned away from her husband, picking up on something very strange from Quigley.

"Just wait, I'll be there in a few minutes." Quigley got up and put his phone back in his pocket before heading toward the hospital.

He arrived there within a half an hour and was taken to the room Reno had been placed in. When he entered, he found Reno still sitting on the bed infuriated, Angel dutifully at his side, and Dr. Zennell, trying to explain the battery of tests he was recommending.

When Reno noticed that Quigley had arrived, he looked away from the doctor and met the blonde's stare. "Oh good, you're here to watch them fuck with me, too?"

"Actually, no." Quigley had been given a bit of a chance to think about things on the way to the hospital. He thought he might have an explanation that would potentially please the doctor. "I was just doing some things in the base…and I took some EMF readings, you know, where you thought you saw the uh, ghosts."

Reno had no idea what Quig was up to, and just narrowed his eye.

This comment, however, caught the doctor's attention. "EMF readings, you say?"

"Yeah," Quigley tried his best to pull off the lie, "I've heard that if they're strong enough, they can affect people's minds to some degree. Make them feel things and what not."

"That's true. What did you find?" the doctor asked.

"That the readings in those places were very, very high. I mean, the base is full of all kinds of equipment and wiring." Quigley crossed his arms over his chest. Lying had never been a strong suit of his. He turned his gaze over toward Reno. "You've never seen any so-called ghosts outside of the base, _right_?"

This was all over Reno's head, but he knew enough to realize that Quigley was trying to get him off the hook for being nuts for some reason. "No, I haven't seen nothing outside of the base."

Quigley looked back at the doctor. "Could it be that with the injury that he sustained that he's just maybe more sensitive to the waves in the base?"

"It's entirely possible." Dr. Zennell turned to Reno. "I'm willing, perhaps, to let you just try staying out of the base for a few days to see if the hallucinations stop."

Reno sighed in relief and hopped up from the bed. "Thank fuckin' God!"

Angel, not knowing that Quigley was lying, but pleased to have what could be a reasonable answer for Reno's visions, was clearly happy. "Quigley, I owe you one."

"Sure." The blond looked back at Reno. "So, can we go back to the house for a while? I've got some things I need to talk to you about, anyway."

Reno looked to the doctor for final permission to leave.

Dr. Zennell turned his gaze over to Angel. "You keep a close eye on him. If there's any hint that something's wrong, you get him back here immediately, understand?"

"Yes, of course," she replied, offering him a smile.

"Good then. I'll call in a few days if I don't hear anything to get an update. If this turns out to be it, he'll need to stay out of the base, lest he suffer more hallucinations." With that, the doctor turned and left the room.

Reno, Angel, and Quigley started back to the house, going along in silence. Once home, Angel made Quigley promise to keep an eye on her husband as she went to go collect their daughter.

Once they were alone, Reno landed on his couch and looked at Quigley. "So what in the fuck are these PMF thingies?"

"EMFs, Reno." Quigley sat in a chair. "Electo-Magnetic Fields, but it doesn't matter, I didn't really check for them."

Reno suddenly looked very confused. "What? But you told the doctor…"

Quigley nodded. "I know what I told the doctor. I couldn't very well just tell him that I'd found out that you really were seeing ghosts and that you weren't insane. I would have ended up committed as well."

Reno shot up to his feet. "Wait, you…you believe me?"

"I do now." Quigley offered a weak smile.

"Why? Did you see something?" Reno fell back onto the couch.

"It's more that I felt something." Quigley was embarrassed to discuss this, even in the presence of the only person that would honestly believe him. "I got that cold feeling again and decided to see if I could measure it, and it worked. It was Port… I told him to go to a different place in the room and sure enough, the cold spot moved. You're not crazy-- at least not in regard to this."

Reno looked absolutely delighted and he got up again and ran across the room, throwing his arms around Quigley's neck. "I fuckin' love you, Quiggers!"

The researcher pushed Reno away. "Yeah, great. Get off of me."

"Okay." Reno stepped back from where the blond was sitting "Seriously, though, thanks."

"It's all right." Quigley then reached into his pocket and pulled out the vial he'd taken from the compounder prior to his experience with Porter's spirit. "And, I've got the drug made up."

Reno snagged the vial from his hand and examined it. "That's fucking great! Wow… Does Vinny know yet?"

"No." Quigley stood up and reclaimed the vial. "I'm going to go tell him when I get back to the base. I'm eager to see if it actually works out right."

"Well, let's go back and do it!"

Quigley shook his head. "No, you have to stay here for a few days and put up a good show, otherwise they'll take you right back into that hospital."

"Fuck." Reno immediately looked upset.

"You need to not let anyone else know what you've been seeing, Reno, or they _will_ take you back. You know that." Quigley put the vial back in his pocket.

Not being free to do as he wished was agonizing, but staying at home was far better than going back to the hospital. Reno relinquished himself to his fate. "Fine, fuck it."

"Don't worry. I'll tell Angel in a day or so that I took care of the EMF readings in those locations and you'll be allowed back in. Just…don't screw up again, okay?" Quigley offered him a smile.

"Yeah fine, we'll do it your way." Reno gave a lopsided grin.

They heard the door to the house open and close, as well as Dana's talking, indicating that Angel was back.

"Good. I'm going to head back to the base and get going on Vincent. I'll see you later." Quigley turned and started for the door.

"Okay, thanks." Reno looked over his shoulder and then at Quigley's retreating form. "Tseng says for you to be careful with his brother, too!"

"I really don't want to hear that from you, Reno." Quigley didn't miss a beat and stepped out the door, closing it behind him.

---------------------------

Vincent was sitting with Tifa in their room, presently holding his infant daughter when a knock came to the door. He got up, keeping the baby held to him with his right arm, and answered. "Quigley?"

"Hey." He looked around Vincent and spotted Tifa on the couch. "Can I come in for a minute?"

"Sure," Vincent replied, stepping aside and letting the researcher by. "What's going on?"

"Well, I've got the drug made up."

Tifa shot up from the couch. "Are you serious?"

"I am." Quigley offered her a smile. "I just left it in the infirmary on my way here. I've got Dr. Ritchie setting things up for you to be given it."

"Now?" Vincent hadn't been expecting this to happen so soon and was honestly surprised.

"Yes." Quigley switched his gaze between the two of them. "I'm…I'm going to go wait in the infirmary. The two of you come along whenever you're ready."

They just watched in silence as Quigley departed, closing the door behind him. Once they were alone, Tifa broke down into tears. "Oh Vincent…"

He knit his brow and came back over, placing his free left arm around her shoulders. "Tifa?"

"I'm scared…what…what if it isn't what they think? I mean, they were wrong with Cid..." She made no attempt to cover her fear.

Vincent looked into her eyes. "Tifa, it will work. I know it will work."

"You don't know that…"

"I promised you before, when I was going to undergo my surgery to get my own body back that I'd be fine and I was, wasn't I?" he asked.

She nodded shallowly.

"And now I'm promising you again, everything will be fine. This will fix me once and for all, then they can take care of Cid and Aaron." Vincent kissed her cheek gently. "There is nothing for you to fear."

Tifa forced away the tears. "Okay."

"Do you want us to see if Cid and Jin will watch Charlotte while this is done?" Vincent kept his arm around her, but turned toward the door.

"Yeah, okay."

They grabbed the baby's bag and headed toward Cid's room, finding him present with his wife.

Cid opened the door, standing there in his boxers and a tee shirt. "What's up?"

"Quigley has the drug made for me." Vincent met the pilot's eyes.

"No shit? That was quick." Cid crossed his arms over his chest. "And lemme guess, you want me to watch the kid while you go and get it done, right?"

"We'd really appreciate it, Cid," Tifa replied, the diaper bag in her hands.

He shrugged. "Yeah well, as much baby sittin' as you did when L.C. was little, I owe you." Cid outstretched his arms, indicating that he wanted Vincent to hand over the child. Honestly, Cid was still attached to the baby, father or not and was eager to hold her again.

Vincent complied and passed over his daughter. "Thanks, Cid."

"No problem." Cid considered the baby in his arms for a moment, before looking at Vincent again. "And uh, good luck, guy."

He openly smiled in response. "Thank you, Cid."

"Yeah well, you should probably get to that, then." Cid held out one of his hands toward Tifa, motioning for the baby's things.

She passed them over. "I'll come by in a while and let you know how it goes."

He locked gazes with Tifa for a moment, wanting her to know that he'd be there for her if things didn't go well. "All right, I'll be waiting."

"Okay." With that, Vincent took Tifa's hand and led her away. She looked back over her shoulder one more time as she retreated with her husband, seeing that Cid was still there, watching them go as well.


	52. Chapter 52

Chapter 52

Vincent and Tifa got to the infirmary, to find Quigley and Dr. Ritchie talking. They fell silent as the noticed their patient's approach, both smiling awkwardly.

The elderly doctor stepped up to Vincent, considering him briefly. "So, are you ready for this?"

Vincent honestly laughed. "I've been ready for this for a long time. What do I need to do?"

"According to the research we got, it just says that I have to give this to you intravenously and that should be it." Quigley pulled the vial back out of his pocket.

"And I'd like to have an I.V. in you before we do that, just in case you have seizures again or any such thing," the doctor added.

Vincent wasn't entirely surprised to hear this, and his demeanor withered just a bit. He wasn't a fan of having I.V.s placed in him, and honestly, he'd had more than his share of them over the years. "Fine."

Dr. Ritchie pointed over toward a bed that already had his supplies lain out beside it. "Just take off your shirt and go over there."

Vincent nodded and complied. He handed his shirt over to his wife and then lay down on the hospital bed. His usual anxiety of medical procedures tried to rear, but the prospect of finally being freed of Chaos after all those years washed it aside.

Tifa remained on the left side of the bed, holding onto his artificial hand while the doctor got to placing the I.V. line into her husband. She knew that for Vincent's sake, she had to hide her own reservations about this. Then again, it wasn't going to be that hard to do, since Vincent had his eyes closed tightly already.

The doctor got the intravenous catheter taped in place and then stepped back, allowing Quigley to come to the bedside. The researcher looked over at Tifa, producing an awkward smile as he held a syringe loaded with the drug between them. "Ready?"

She nodded, and Vincent didn't respond in the least, having thoroughly braced himself for the worst. He was shaking slightly, and sweating profusely, but didn't open his eyes or change the grip he had on Tifa.

Quigley knit his brow and did a silent prayer that this would work, before lining up the needle with the injection port on Vincent's arm. He drew back, getting a flash of blood, before slowly beginning to dispense the contents of the syringe into Vincent's bloodstream.

Vincent honestly didn't know when the medication started to enter his system. He never felt any burn, nor change in his pulse rate. The entire injection came and went with no seizure or hint of nausea.

"That's it. How are you feeling?" Quigley asked as he withdrew the needle and stepped back.

Vincent cracked open one of his eyes and looked at the blond. "Did you do it?"

"Yeah." Quigley smiled. "You didn't notice?"

Vincent sat up and looked at Tifa, before turning back to the doctor and researcher. "No, I never felt a thing. I feel…fine."

"Vincent, look at me again." Tifa reached forward and placed her hand upon his shoulder.

He turned upon the bed and looked up at her once more. "Is something wrong?"

Her immediate smile spoke volumes. Being behind him, she had seen the black mark that had been upon his back from Chaos' presence disappear and now seeing his eyes, she knew that the treatment had honestly worked. Tifa leaned forward and threw her arms around his neck, crying happily.

Vincent didn't understand and got up from the bed, holding her close. "Tifa? What's wrong?"

She pulled back and shook her head. "Nothing's wrong…nothing's wrong at all… Your eyes, Vincent…"

He instantly caught on and dropped his arms away from her. After a moment of hesitation, Vincent spun and ran from the infirmary. He jogged all the way to the room he and Tifa shared, throwing open the door and going into the bathroom. Once inside, he stood before the mirror and examined his own image.

His eyes weren't crimson anymore.

They were the dark, coffee color that he naturally possessed.

He laughed to himself and braced against the sink, his overwhelming relief over being rid of Chaos…actually rid of Chaos once and for all, causing tears to come to his eyes.

It wasn't long before Tifa, Quigley, and the doctor all arrived, as they knew where he had gone.

Tifa came up to him, seeing the tears marking his cheeks. "Vincent, are you all right?"

"I'm fine…" He offered her a faint smile before straightening back up and putting his arms around her. "I'm completely fine."

Tifa collapsed against him, crying in her happiness. "S…so now they can help Cid, Aaron, and Charlotte?"

Quigley was leaning against the doorframe. "Looks like it. I'll go get Cid's batch underway."

"Quig…we owe you so much…" Tifa let go of Vincent for a moment and turned toward the other man.

Quigley's expression was simply one of sheer exhaustion and stress. He straightened up and shoved his hands in his pockets. "No, you don't owe me anything. I was just doing my job. I'm going to the lab to get to work. I've got DNA from Cid and Aaron already so… I'll see you guys."

They watched him retreat. Dr. Ritchie suddenly felt more than a little out of place alone with Vincent and Tifa. He offered them a faint smile. "So, you're feeling entirely fine, Vincent?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

"Good enough. If you start to feel anything strange, come and get me, all right?" The doctor turned to leave.

"Okay," Vincent said after him. Now alone, he looked back down at Tifa and took her into his arms once more.

She closed her eyes and rested her head against his chest. "So…this…this is finally over?"

"Looks like it." Vincent closed his eyes and stroked her hair with his human hand.

---------------------------------------

A day later, Cid was brought to the infirmary to undergo his treatment as well. Just like Vincent, he received his injection without incident. Within a few minutes, his eyes had also returned to their natural color of sky blue, leaving no trace of whatever it had been he had become.

Once convinced that he was going to be all right, Cid hopped up from the hospital bed and reclaimed his shirt from Jin before slipping it on.

Tifa and Vincent were present as well, with Charlotte resting in her father's arms.

The pilot draped his arm around his wife's shoulders and then looked over at his friends. "Well that was a big fuckin' deal made over nothin', huh?"

"It wasn't so bad, I'd agree," Vincent said back, offering a hint of a smile.

"So…this means I can go the hell home, then?" Cid turned his eyes over toward Quigley and Dr. Ritchie.

The two men in question looked at one another before Quigley spoke up. "Yeah, I guess so."

"Fuckin' A." Cid seemed more than a little pleased.

"Actually, though," came a voice from the doors to the infirmary-- it was Reno. He strolled in and over toward the pilot. "I sorta need you to do something for me."

Cid cocked an eyebrow and huffed. "What's that?"

"Well, we need to get Aaron back here from Mideel so he can get his shot, too." Reno placed his hands on his hips. "But, as is so often the case, looks like old Brad's got the chopper out of commission, so…I was kinda hoping that you might go get him."

Flying all the way to Mideel and back before finally being allowed to go home didn't particularly thrill Cid, but he felt that he owed it to the powers that be, and moreover, Tifa. He glanced over at her, seeing the eager expression that she wore. "Yeah, what the fuck, I'll do it."

"Cool beans." Reno seemed satisfied with this. "Get to that then, would ya?"

Cid stepped away from Jin and then shrugged. "I guess I've got shit to take care of, then."

Jin nodded knowingly. "That's all right. I'll get on the train and head back toward Rocket. I'll get there by tomorrow so that L.C. can come home."

"Sound's good." Cid offered her a light kiss before she walked out of the infirmary to get her plans made.

"And how much would she freak out if she found out that I wanted to go to Mideel with you to pick up my son?" Tifa asked, stepping away from Vincent a bit.

Once more, Cid's eyebrow raised questioningly. "To hell with that, what would _you_ say about it, Sunshine?"

Vincent turned his eyes up from the baby he was holding. "It's fine with me, unless you wanted me to go instead, Tifa. I mean, you would have to take the baby since you're nursing and all, unless we all go."

Having been so eager to see her son again, Tifa had completely forgotten that small detail. She couldn't be away from the baby at the moment for more than a few hours. "Oh, right…"

Reno shook his head. "Vinny, you can't go. I need you for some things around here, first."

"Like what?" Vincent asked.

"Like stuff!" Reno suddenly looked annoyed. He didn't honestly feel like he needed to explain himself to anyone. He simply wanted Vincent to stay around so that he could tell him about the bugs that his father-in-law had found in his house after Shinra had infiltrated it in order to reveal Tifa's affair to him. This was not something that he wanted to outright say in his present company. Rude would most likely be able to tell them if Vincent had found them all once Vincent told them how many he'd found and where the bugs had been.

"Fine." Vincent looked at his wife. "Are you sure you wish to go with the baby?"

"We'll be fine. It's just a day of flying." Tifa offered him a grin. "I just want to see Aaron."

"Good enough, then." Vincent looked over at Cid. "How soon do you think you'll be leaving?"

"Now," came Cid's curt answer.

"All right." Vincent met Tifa's gaze again. "Shall we go to our room and pack up what you'll need?"

"Yeah, let's go." Tifa started for the infirmary doors, and Vincent quickly followed.

Once in their room, Vincent sat on the bed with the baby while Tifa got to loading up the diaper bag.

She looked over her shoulder as she packed. "What do you think Reno wants you for?"

"I have no clue."

"Oh." Tifa stopped and turned to face her husband. "_Are_ you all right with me going?"

He glanced up from his daughter. "Should I not be?"

"I thought…"

"That I wouldn't be well for you taking off with Cid alone?" Vincent cocked his head to the side.

"Well, yeah…" Tifa came over and sat beside him.

"Tifa, if I can't trust you, then there is no point in us being together. We started over, remember that." Vincent turned his eyes back to Charlotte. "Besides, I don't think Cid would try anything, for fear of what Jin would do to him if she found out."

Tifa couldn't help but laugh. "That's probably true."

"You wouldn't have much of an opportunity to get away with a lot, anyway." Vincent's mouth quirked up. "He once said in passing that he'd never had sex on a plane, nor would he."

Tifa's face twisted. "When did he ever say that?"

Vincent shrugged. "Just one time when he and I were talking a few years ago. I don't even recall how we had gotten on the subject."

"Cid and you have talked about that sort of thing?" Tifa couldn't help but laugh.

Vincent didn't seem nearly as amused. "You spend enough time with someone, you discuss certain things. Cid has been one of my few friends, you know."

"Yeah, but I never figured that you two would bring up that sort of thing." She continued to giggle.

"It was more of a case of Cid volunteering information that I hadn't exactly asked for." Vincent sighed back, rocking the baby in his arms slightly.

"Well then, if it was a few years ago, maybe he has now," Tifa said without really thinking.

Vincent instantly looked over at her, his brow knit.

She raised her hands in defense. "No, no, no, no! We did _not_ do that, I assure you."

"Perhaps he has with Jin." Vincent dropped his gaze away again, amused at her reaction.

"Yeah, maybe." Tifa didn't want to continue with this line of discussion and she rose from the bed and grabbed the bag of baby supplies. "I think I've got all I need here."

Vincent sighed heavily and rose up from the bed. He walked over to where the infant carrier seat was and picked it up with his left hand, keeping the baby in his right arm. "Okay."

Tifa could see the sadness in his expression and she went to him, placing her hand upon his right shoulder. "Vincent, are you really okay with me going? I mean, if it's upsetting you, we can just have Cid get him on his own."

Vincent narrowed his eyes and locked into her gaze. "Tifa, you know that Aaron isn't all that fond of Cid at the moment. There's a fair chance that if you don't go, that Aaron won't leave with him."

Tifa nodded and looked away. "True."

"Come on, let's go." Vincent forced a smile for her and then followed her out the door.

They went up to the airfield to find Cid standing next to his father's plane. As they got closer, they saw that Cid was facing away from them, leaning against it.

When they were directly behind him, they could see that something was definitely not right. Cid had his arms resting on the side of the plane, his head pressed against the fuselage between them.

Tifa grew afraid. "Cid? Are you okay?"

He pulled one of is hands away from the plane and extended his arm out behind them, waving them away. "Yeah…just… Come back in a while…"

Tifa could instantly tell from his voice that he was crying. She dropped the diaper bag to the tarmac and closed the distance between the pilot and herself. "Cid?"

He felt the weight of her hands upon his shoulders, and wasn't particularly thrilled that she hadn't retreated as asked. "Seriously, Tif… Just come back in a little while. I…I don't want you and Sue to see me like this."

"What's wrong?" Tifa was not going to abandon him like this, whether he liked it or not.

Realizing that she wasn't going to leave, Cid sighed and did his best to pull himself together before turning and facing her. "It's just that once I came out here and got to this plane… all the memories of my old man just sort of rushed in on me."

Remembering the pain of her own father's death, even if the circumstances had been considerably different, Tifa's eyes brimmed with tears and she threw her arms around Cid. "I'm so sorry…"

Not really caring if Vincent was standing by and watching, Cid embraced her in return, needing the comfort. "I'll be okay."

After several minutes, Cid gathered his composure and stepped away from her. He wiped his eyes with the backs of his hands and then looked over to see Vincent standing with the baby and the carrier. "So, uh, ready to go?"

Vincent shrugged slightly and came forward, wanting to get the baby's seat secured in the plane for Tifa.

Cid remained silent until Vincent had vanished into the plane before looking at Tifa again. "Really, is he okay with you going with me?"

"He said he was." Tifa looked down at the ground. "You know how Vincent is, though."

"Yeah, I do, that's the thing. Even if he had a problem with it, he wouldn't say shit. He'd just stay here and brood about it the whole time," Cid scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest.

Vincent's head reappeared through the door to the plane and he scowled over at Cid. "Trust me, if I had a problem with it, I would have told Reno to shove it up his ass and I would have gone with you."

Cid was a little surprised that Vincent had heard, and actually found Vincent's response more than a little amusing. "All right, man. Just wanted to make sure, that's all."

Vincent rolled his eyes and went back to getting Charlotte secured into her seat in the plane.

Tifa snickered a little bit and then turned to pick up the diaper bag she'd dropped. She then climbed into the plane, to find Vincent making sure that Charlotte was safely strapped in her seat that he had placed in one of the passenger seats.

"She's still asleep?" Tifa asked, inspecting her husband's work.

"So it would seem." Vincent offered her a faint smile, then bending down to kiss the baby on the head before turning back to his wife. "I'll see you when you return."

"Okay." Tifa placed her arms around Vincent and embraced him tightly before offering her lips up to him for a kiss.

Vincent complied and met her lips with his, invading her mouth in a lingering farewell kiss.

Cid pushed past the two of them to get into the pilot's seat. "Get a fuckin' room."

Tifa giggled and pulled away from Vincent. "I guess we're leaving."

Vincent nodded. "Goodbye."

"Bye." She moved to go sit in the copilot's seat.

Vincent exited the plane, closing the door behind him. Once he had walked a short distance away, Cid fired up the engines. Vincent stood on the tarmac and watched for several minutes until Cid taxied the plane out onto the runway and then took off.

A/N-- Once more, I apologize for the delay between updates. Just two more chapters to go, though. All is not lost!


	53. Chapter 53

Chapter 53

Once the plane was out of view, Vincent shoved his hands into his pockets and slogged back into the base. He went to his room, but once he entered, Vincent found Reno and Rude sitting on his couch.

Vincent was more than a little annoyed at Reno's intrusion into his space, and only gave him a sidelong glance before sitting on the edge of the bed and picking up the book he'd been reading from the nightstand.

Reno didn't give Vincent's blatant attempt to ignore him any heed. He got up from the couch. "So, Vinny, we were thinking that it was time for the three of us to take a little trip."

Sighing heavily, Vincent closed his book and looked up at his son-in-law. "Where?"

"To your place." Reno landed next to Vincent on the bed. "We wanna go check it all out, make sure you got all the bugs and that the area is all clear. Between you, Rude, and me, would should be able to make pretty damn sure we got all the Shinra plants out of the house."

"That's why you didn't want me to go with Tifa and Cid?" Vincent wasn't particularly pleased with this. After all, he'd been a Turk, and a very good one, and he supposed that the chances of him having overlooked any bugs in the house were slim.

"Yeah." Reno bounced where he sat on the bed. "So, get packed up and we'll head out. Brad's got the chopper ready to go."

"You said the helicopter was out of commission, Reno." Vincent got up, not liking the way the red head was jostling the mattress.

"Oops, I guess I lied a little." Reno smiled his most innocent grin.

Vincent threw his book at the other man. "God damn it, Reno."

Rude instantly got up from the bed and put his hand on Vincent's shoulder, turning him around. "It's for the safety of your family, Valentine. And…don't throw things at Reno."

Vincent looked up at the considerably larger man, at once remembering exactly what an imposing presence Rude had always been. He knit his brow, knowing that the former Turk leader's words were, after all, true. "All right. Give me a few minutes to pack up, and we'll go."

"You're the best, Vinny!" Reno said with false enthusiasm, getting up from the bed and heading toward the door. "Come on, Rude. He probably needs to be alone so he can get all of he and Tifa's embarrassing sex toys in the suitcase."

Vincent instantly picked up his book from where it had landed on the floor and flung it at Reno once more, but it never met its mark. Rude caught it mid air, before it struck the ASRIO leader's head.

Rude then proceeded to toss the book back at Vincent. "Again, refrain from doing that."

Vincent caught his book and turned his back, before getting to the task of packing up. Even though he hadn't said anything, the idea of getting out of the base and home was a welcome one.

-------------------------

Tifa looked out of the plane's window, seeing the expanse of the ocean below them. Charlotte was asleep in the seat behind hers, leaving she and Cid in silence. Eventually, she turned her eyes from the outside over to the pilot.

Cid felt her eyes upon him and spoke up. "What's on your mind?"

Tifa shrugged weakly. "Well…we've been in this plane for well over two hours so far, and we haven't said more than a dozen words to each other. It didn't use to be like that when we were alone."

He huffed, knowing that she wanted them to talk about 'feelings' again and after all that had happened, Cid felt that it just wasn't his place. "I'm all right, Tif."

"But are _we _all right?" She asked.

"Damn it." Cid flipped on the autopilot and undid his seat belt, so that he could turn to face her. "Look, Tifa, we're fine, all right? But you gotta remember how we got into the mess that we got into in the first place. It was talkin' too much and gettin' too involved with each other like that. I mean, we just can't do that sorta shit anymore."

Tifa almost felt tears in her eyes at the thought that he was intentionally going to keep her at a distance from now on. Although she knew that she had relied upon him too much before because of Vincent's inability to be there for her, she still felt like their friendship had changed. "Yeah, okay."

He crossed his arms over his chest and frowned. "I'm not tryin' to piss you off or hurt your feelings, Tif. That's just the way it is."

"I know." She turned in her seat to look out the window once more.

"Look…" Cid swallowed hard, trying to think of what to say that wouldn't come off wrong. "I still love you, you know that. I always will. I'll always be here for you when you need me, but we've got to watch how we…deal with each other from now on. If it's a choice between us staying a little more…superficial or doing something that will make Sue forbid us from bein' friends at all, I'll go with option one. We don't wanna give Sunshine any reason to fuckin' kill me now, right?"

She couldn't help but laugh a little at that. "No, of course not."

"So…if you want to talk, then let's talk, just not about…us and what happened anymore, all right?" Cid faced forward in his seat again.

Tifa looked over at him, grateful in a way. "Okay. So…how's L.C. been doing? I mean, I know you haven't seen him since getting to the base, but how was he with you and Jin getting married?"

Cid looked thoughtful for a moment. "He's happy about it. The kid loves her. I mean, she's basically been his mom since he was just shy of a year old. When she and I split up for all those months, he was really upset about things. I think what it boils down to is that he's relieved. Like he feels he's got a little security in his life, now. 'Course, what sucks is that Jin and I have been here for a while, leavin' the poor kid back in Rocket. It's gonna just be nice to get home and have things settle into…somethin' like normal. Jin's gonna be around, since she's quittin' ASRIO." He looked over at her. "Basically, it's just gonna be…good."

Tifa offered him a smile. "I'm really glad to hear that."

"Yeah." Cid narrowed his eyes and looked out at the clouds passing by. "And after Aaron gets his injection and you all go home, what do you think it'll be like?"

"Well, Vincent really is committed to this starting over thing." She smiled to herself. "Chaos was influencing him a lot in the back of his mind, driving him to do the things he did. That's gone now, so…"

"So, you think things'll be better?" Cid finished for her.

"Yeah, I really do. Plus, having Charlotte in his arms seemed to touch something within him. He's determined to keep our family together, no matter what," Tifa said, happiness in her voice.

"Well, he better prove to be one hell of a dad to her, or I'll…" Cid thought better of finishing that statement. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, he was still awfully attached to the baby girl in the plane with them.

Tifa easily picked up on something in his voice. "Cid?"

"I fell in love with that baby, that's all. Sorta happens when you think it's yours, I guess." He slumped in his seat a little. "Things are workin' out for the best, though, and I know it."

Knowing that any further pressing of the issue would take them right into the sort of discussion that Cid dearly wished to avoid, Tifa let it go. "Things are going to be all right."

"Yeah." Cid nodded to himself. "Yeah…"

-------------------------

Jaras was sitting behind the counter in his bookstore, Aaron dutifully at his side, flipping through a book he'd pulled off the shelf.

When the phone rang, Aaron, wanting to help out his elder brother, answered. "Mideel Books, this is Aaron. How can I help you?"

Vincent smiled to himself as he paced before the helicopter. He was waiting with Rude and Reno for Brad to show up, and decided that it might be worth while to give Jaras the heads up that Tifa and Cid were coming for Aaron. "Aaron? He's got you answering the phone now?"

The boy smiled to hear his father's voice. "Yup, Jaras let's me do things here in the store."

"I see. Aaron, I was calling to let you know that your mother is coming to pick you up." Vincent stopped walking and simply sat on the ground.

"Oh, she is?" Aaron leaned against the counter, and looked over at his brother.

"Yes, the reason being is that they've found a way to get the demons out of us once and for all. I've already been cured." He couldn't help but smile.

"Really?" Aaron was more than a little excited to hear this.

"Really."

"When's she going to be here?" Aaron asked.

"She's already on her way. Cid's flying her so, she'll be there by tonight." Vincent braced for the boy's inevitable reaction.

"_Cid's_ flying her here and you're not coming along?" He scowled, and it was reflected in his voice.

"He is, but the only reason that I didn't come along was because I have to make sure that the house is safe, since Shinra had been in there at some point." He honestly didn't want his son to get upset.

"But things with you and Mom…they're all right?" Aaron asked.

"They are better than all right. Your mother and I are going to be fine. After she picks you up, you'll go to the ASRIO base and get your treatment. Once that's done, you, your mother, and Charlotte are coming home, where I'll already be. We'll all be together and things will be better, understand?" Vincent wished that he could say this to his son in person.

"Okay." The boy smiled. "Wanna talk to Jaras?"

"Yes."

"Okay, bye." Aaron passed the phone to his brother.

Jaras took the reciever, already having figured out who was calling. "Dad?"

"Jaras. I was just calling to let you know that Tifa is on her way to pick up Aaron. They have the cure for the demon." Vincent's smile returned.

"Oh, that's great." He looked over at his younger sibling. "That's really great."

"It is." Vincent saw Brad approaching in the distance and got up. "Anyway, she'll be there by tonight."

"Good, I'll be expecting her, then."

"I have to go. I'll talk to you later." Vincent prepared to hang up. "And don't violate any child labor laws."

"All right," Jaras said with a laugh in his voice. "Bye."

"Bye." With that, Vincent closed his phone and slipped it back into his pocket.

"Vinny!" Reno already had the door on the side of the chopper pulled open. "Let's get in so we can get this show on the road once Brad gets his lazy ass over here."

Vincent shook his head and sighed, before complying with Reno's request. He landed in the seats on one side of the helicopter, while Reno and Rude sat next to one another on the other. He could instantly appreciate that Reno was even cockier than usual now that Rude was at his side to dig his butt out of whatever trouble he got himself into.

"What you staring at?" Reno shot over at Vincent, as Brad climbed in.

"Nothing much," Vincent replied. "I was wondering how Angel is coping with having a third person in your relationship now."

Reno's eye went wide and he looked over at Rude incredulously, before turning back to Vincent. "Hey man, you know what? Fuck you."

"I'm just saying you and Rude have been spending a lot of time with one another since he arrived." Vincent was inwardly pleased with Reno's reaction, although his face betrayed nothing.

Rude's only response to this was to push his ever-present sunglasses higher upon his nose.

"Feel free to jump in and defend yourself at any time, Rude," Reno growled under his breath as the engine was finally fired up. "You suck, Vinny."

"You can dish it out, but God forbid you should have to take it back." Vincent crossed his arms over his chest, not able to keep the smile from coming to his lips.

"Rude and me are just close. We were Turks together for God knows how long and…" Reno stopped himself, realizing that he was only going to add fuel to the fire if he said anything further. He opted to take Vincent's usual method of action and looked away, instantly falling silent.

Vincent simply broke down and laughed. Sometimes, it was just too easy.

-------------------------

That evening, Cid landed the plane on the outskirts of Mideel. He remained in the pilot's seat with his arms crossed over his chest, waiting for Tifa to nurse Charlotte before they headed toward Jaras' house.

"How much longer? My ass is asleep," Cid grumbled, just wanting to get up and move around.

Tifa was already buttoning up her blouse. "The baby's taken care of, you can get up now."

"It's about fuckin' time." Cid got up and passed her, throwing open the door on the side of the plane and hopping out.

Tifa held the baby in her right arm, and grabbed the diaper bag with her other, before following the pilot. "Gosh, the weather here is always so nice."

Cid claimed the diaper bag from her and slung it over his shoulder. "Yeah, whatever. It still stinks here, too. Let's go get to Jaras'. I'm fuckin' starved."

Knowing that Cid tended to think with his stomach, Tifa opted not to argue and went along with him in silence as they walked the short distance to the house Jaras and Jeanine shared.

They got there and knocked on the door. Aaron answered and threw his arms around his mother. Tifa smiled and kissed him on the top of the head, then showing him his sister for a moment.

A short time later, Jaras showed up in the doorway. "Hey."

"Hi, Jaras." Tifa offered him a broad smile.

Cid simply nodded slightly in acknowledgement. He just wanted some food.

Jaras seemed to pick up on this. "Come on in. Jeanine just made dinner."

"Thank God." Cid pushed past the other man and dropped the diaper bag on his way to the dinning room.

Tifa sighed and shook her head as she followed Jaras and Aaron into the house. "So, was Aaron good?"

Jaras looked back over his shoulder and nodded. "He's always good when he's here."

In fact, Tifa couldn't remember one time when Jaras had possessed any complaint about her son's behavior. "Good to know."

They ended up in the dinning room, to find Jeanine sitting at the table with Cid, who was already helping himself to what was prepared. Tifa made it a point to sit next to her son and away from the pilot.

They ate in silence for a time, until Jeanine spoke up. "So, I assume that you will be spending the night and going back tomorrow?"

"Yup," Cid replied simply. He was not in the mood to get back into the plane tonight.

"I guess so." Tifa offered a smile.

Jeanine looked thoughtful. "Well, Tifa, you can stay in the guest room with Aaron and the baby. Cid, you can have the couch. It folds out."

"Fine." Cid didn't look up from his plate. He didn't care where he was going to sleep. For all he cared, he could end up on the floor. The truth was that he was so tired he knew he'd be able to sleep anywhere.

Tifa passed the baby over to Jeanine and then got up from the table. She went into the bathroom to take care of things. As she washed her hands, she couldn't help but notice that the bathroom mirror was completely covered in newspaper. When she got back out to the family room where everyone had migrated, she asked, "Are you going to paint the bathroom soon? I noticed you had the mirror covered up."

Jaras suddenly looked a little embarrassed. He knew that he could trust Tifa with the truth and got up. "Come on, I need to talk to you."

Tifa looked and saw that at some point, Cid had claimed Charlotte from Jeanine and was holding the baby on the couch. Seeing that her daughter was in good hands, and that Aaron was planted on the floor playing his video game, Tifa knew that it was safe to go with Jaras.

He led her out of the house and to the swing that was on the porch. Tifa sat with him.

Jaras took a deep breath and then looked in her eyes. "The reason that the mirror in the bathroom is covered up, is because…I've been having some hallucinations when I've looked into mirrors lately."

"Oh my God, Jaras, are you all right?" Tifa asked, moving closer to him and honestly concerned. She remembered his mental instabilities and woes from seven years back and dreaded what it could mean.

"I don't…I don't honestly know. I feel like I did when I started to go insane from the Jenova in me ages ago, but…according to the test that Brandon ran the other day, there's no Jenova in me anymore." He hung his head as the misery of it all crushed in on him.

Tifa's stomach knotted to hear this and she draped an arm around his shoulders. "Oh Jaras, I'm sorry. Do they have any idea what's causing it?"

"They can't find a medical reason. I'm sure Jeanine probably has a few ideas in mind, being in psychiatry and all, but…I've not dared to ask. I don't want to think that I'm really losing my mind." Jaras leaned forward until he had his elbows resting on his knees. "I'm scared, though Tifa. I'll admit that."

She rubbed his back and felt a sting in her eyes. This news would just kill Vincent when she told him. "I don't know what to say. I just hope you're going to be all right."

"Me, too." Jaras rubbed his eyes, pushing back the tears. "I can't lose my mind now. I've got my life back, I've got a baby on the way…I've got a little brother that looks up to me… I don't know what to do, Tifa."

She leaned over and rested against his back, wanting to shield him from all the terrible things in the world that seemed determined to tear him apart. Tifa had come to love Jaras over the years and knew that he was truly important to Aaron. If Jaras did end up losing his mind, she knew that it would deeply hurt her son. They remained in silence on the porch for some time as Jaras shed a few tears with her.

-------------------------

Vincent walked into his house, followed by Rude, Reno, and Brad. The other three men would spend the night and go back to the base the following day.

They walked through the house while Vincent pointed out to Rude and Reno where he'd found bugs and cameras in the house. Once the tour was complete, Rude crossed his arms over his chest and looked thoughtful.

"So, I'm fairly confident that I got them all," Vincent said, feeling his exhaustion press in on him.

"You did good," Rude replied, "but you never said you looked in the space around the water heater in the hall."

Vincent quirked an eyebrow. Rude had him there. He'd never bothered to look in the compartment where the water heater resided. "Oh… I guess I forgot about that."

Rude shook his head and went back down the hall. He pulled open the door to the water heater closet and got on his hands and knees. In the vent grate on the bottom half of the door, he ran his fingers along the metal, encountering something between two of the slats. After a moment of struggle, he pulled forth a tiny listening device.

Vincent inwardly kicked himself for having missed this bug. "Damn."

Rude considered the item for a moment, before crushing it in his fist. "There, the place should be clean now."

"Thanks." Vincent pointed at the guestroom. "Someone can stay in there, Brad's already claimed the couch, and…I guess one of you can stay in Aaron's room.

"Guestroom!" Reno screeched and ran to the door, opening it and vanishing inside. He had absolutely no intention of staying in some kid's room.

Rude huffed and pulled off his sunglasses before stowing them in his coat pocket. "Please tell me he doesn't have some tiny little kid bed."

"It's a full." Vincent smiled.

"That will do." Rude went into Aaron's room and closed the door.

Vincent found himself alone and decided that he wanted a cup of tea before turning in. He went into the kitchen and made his beverage and then sat at the kitchen table with it. The center of the table was covered in mail as apparently Tifa had asked someone to bring it in during their absence.

He began to pick through the pile, sorting out the bills from the junk. When he came across something from the hospital lab, Vincent knit his brow and opted to open it.

Inside was a lab report form.

_**Paternity Test Results:**_

_**According to the samples submitted from one Cid A. Highwind Jr., and Charlotte Cidelle Vatasi, the following is reported:**_

_**The DNA samples are not a match. The chances of Mr. Highwind being the father of Baby Vatatsi are less than 1 in three billion.**_

Vincent collapsed back in his chair and stared up at the ceiling. Having this concrete evidence that Charlotte was actually his daughter was just what he needed. He closed his eyes and thanked the powers that be prior to finishing his tea and heading to his bedroom.

Once inside, he looked in the closet and saw the case his Death Penalty was held in and pulled it from the shelf. His fingers made out the combination on the lock quickly and he opened it, seeing his gun safely inside. Thusly reassured, he put the case back in the closet and stripped before turning in for the night.

Things seemed to be on the right track.

A/N-- Brace yourselves, my lovelies. It's going to be a rough landing…  
I love you all.


	54. Chapter 54

Chapter 54

The following morning, Cid woke up a little earlier than usual. He looked over at the clock hanging on the wall and saw that it was only five thirty. Stiff from having slept on the couch, the pilot got up and stretched before dressing and picking up his jacket and heading out the door. He figured that if nothing else, he could get all of his preflight checks done on the plane before the others got up.

The horizon was just starting to brighten as he walked toward the plane. It was still relatively dark when he got there. As usual, he ran his hands along the leading edges of the wings and over the propellers, feeling for any imperfection. Once confident that the exterior was fine, he climbed inside and checked various gauges and such. When all seemed in order, he sat back in pilot's seat and stared out the windshield as the sun finally broke over the horizon. Cid was able to see some storm clouds off in the distance, and they gave the sky a deep red glow as it brightened. The pilot had to admit to himself that it was beautiful.

Just when he was about to get up and head back to the house, he saw something wedged into the control panel. Reaching forward, he pulled out his father's spare pack of cigarettes and lighter. Cid considered them for a moment and smiled to himself. At least he'd gotten to reconcile with his father before his death. That was more than he could have ever really hoped for. Even though he no longer smoked or had any use for the cigarettes, he eventually put them right back where he'd gotten them. After all, this was his father's plane, and they belonged here.

-------------------------

Tifa heard something out in the kitchen and sat up. She'd been lying awake next to Aaron, with Charlotte at her side for a while, not daring to move and wake the kids up yet. Knowing that it was well after six and that Cid would be up by now, she wondered if it was him that she was hearing moving around. Carefully, Tifa sat up and looked about. The morning light was coming in the window, brightening the room. She looked over at Aaron and smiled to herself. He just looked so much like Vincent… Tifa couldn't help but wonder if perhaps Charlotte would at least look a little like her when she was older.

The boy felt his mother stir and opened his eyes, gazing over at her. "Time to get up?"

"Soon." Tifa saw that the red light made his eyes seem to glow, adding to the illusion of him being a miniature version of his father. "You can sleep a little more if you want. I'm going to get up now, though. Charlotte's sleeping still. Let me know if she starts crying, okay?"

Aaron nodded lazily and then flopped onto his back, closing his eyes once more. Tifa placed some pillows around the baby to keep her from potentially rolling off the bed and then she dressed. She slipped from the room quietly, to leave the children in peace for a while. Aaron had been up fairly late talking with Jaras and she knew that he was going to be dragging all day as it was.

Tifa shuffled out into the kitchen and as she suspected, spotted Cid standing before the coffee maker, watching it run. "Hey."

He looked back over his shoulder at her. "Hey yourself."

"Making coffee?" Tifa asked, pulling out a kitchen chair and landing.

Cid huffed and shook his head at the sheer stupidity of the question. "Obvious day, huh?"

Tifa snickered to herself. He never was much for conversation in the morning. "You're terrible Cid."

He mocked her as she said it, in his usual way. "Yeah, I fuckin' got it."

"So…when do you want us to head home?" She propped her head up on her arms and gazed at him.

The pilot came over and sat across from her. "Pretty early. I'd like to get some God damned breakfast first, though. Wanna make pancakes?"

Tifa wasn't all that keen about going to work in someone else's kitchen without their permission, but she knew that it would still be a while before Jaras and Jeanine got up. They tended to sleep in late. On the other hand, Cid had always been particularly fond of her pancakes for some strange reason and she figured she owed it to him for bringing her here to get Aaron. Grudgingly, she got up from her seat and over to the pantry to search for the needed ingredients.

Cid leaned back in his chair and laced his hands behind his head, watching her move about. "You're gonna have to show Jin how to make them right sometime. She…God, the one's she makes are fuckin' awful. Like bricks."

Laughing, Tifa looked over her shoulder at him. "I'll see what I can do about it. I pretty much just follow the instructions on the box."

"Yeah well, you do somethin' different." He sighed at the thought of his new wife. "Hope Jin's trip to Rocket went all right."

"I'm sure she's fine. I bet L.C. will be happy to have the both of you home." Tifa turned on the stove and set down the griddle upon it.

"Yup."

Tifa poured some of the pancake batter onto the griddle and then turned to face Cid again. "You two will come and visit soon, right? I mean, I just sort of have this fear that Jin won't want you to come and see us after all that happened."

He scoffed. "I wouldn't worry about that too much. I think I can sway her. I wear the pants in the fuckin' relationship."

Tifa had seen enough of their 'relationship' to know that such was not exactly the case. "All right, just promise that I'll see you from time to time."

"Wild horses couldn't keep me away or however the saying goes." He smirked in his usual way. "Besides, we can talk on the phone, too. Just…not as much as before."

"Yeah," she sighed, nodding. Tifa knew all too well that the six-hour conversations had to end. Then again, those had been spurned on by her fights with Vincent so, hopefully, there would be no more reason. The pancakes were ready to flip and she turned her back to him once more.

Cid got up from the table and went over to the fridge. He found the butter and syrup and put them on the table before going over and getting out a few dishes.

Tifa noticed him doing this and was impressed. Generally, he just sat at the table expectantly without bothering to get anything himself. "Jin's got you a little better trained, if nothing else."

The pilot rolled his eyes and set the dishes upon the table before coming up behind Tifa and placing a hand upon her shoulder. "Just bein' nice, Tifa. God knows when I'm gonna have you all to myself again, right?"

Something in the way he said that tugged at her heartstrings and she turned and put her arms around him. "I'm going to miss you."

"Yeah, me too." Cid held her tightly for a few moments, realizing that if he didn't let go soon, that he wouldn't be able to. He stepped back and offered her a smile before going back over and sitting at the table to await his breakfast.

They ate, talking about small things, and Aaron eventually pulled himself from bed and came out. He, too, had some of what Tifa had made and sat with his eyes fixed on his plate.

Tifa, hearing Charlotte stir, excused herself from the table and went to the bedroom to nurse the baby, leaving Cid and Aaron alone.

Cid watched the boy eat with his arms folded over his chest for several minutes. "Hey, kid?"

Aaron slowly lifted his eyes from his breakfast and glared at the man. "What?"

"You still hate me?" he asked, honestly wondering.

This wasn't exactly the sort of morning conversation that the boy wanted to get into. "I don't know. Ask me again later."

Cid smiled, remembering when Vincent had said the same thing to him not so long ago. "I'm sorry I fucked up your life there for a while."

"Okay." Aaron dropped his gaze back down to his plate again. "Just…don't do it again."

"Deal." Cid picked up his coffee cup and took a long drink. "Hey, you and L.C., though, you guys are all right, ain't you?"

Mimicking Vincent once more, Aaron set down his fork, placed his hands flat on the table and then turned his eyes back up to Cid in a deliberately annoyed motion. "L.C. and I are just fine. He never did anything, really. Circumstances were just… unfortunate."

The pilot sighed, knowing that Aaron was never going to act or sound his age and that the kid was going to perplex him just as much as Vincent always had.

It wasn't too much later when Jaras and Jeanine emerged from their room. The conversation was kept light and finally arrived the time for Cid, Aaron, Tifa, and Charlotte to depart. They all walked to the airplane and gave their good byes.

Tifa got Charlotte secured in her seat and then stepped back out of the plane. She went over and embraced Jeanine for a moment before turning to Jaras. Tifa put her arms around him tightly, wondering if he was going to be all right. She whispered in his ear, "If you need anything, you call me, all right?"

He closed his eyes, appreciating her concern. "I will. Thanks, Tifa."

"Sure thing. Love you, okay?" She stepped back from him.

"I love you, too." Jaras forced a smile for her. "Talk to you soon."

"Okay. Bye." Tifa took Aaron's hand and got onto the plane.

Cid nodded at Jeanine and then extended his hand toward Jaras. "See you later, guy."

"Okay." Jaras took his hand for a few seconds, never disappointed by the strength of the pilot's grip. "Bye."

"Bye." Cid followed Tifa onto the plane and closed the door. He got them into the air in short order.

-------------------------

Vincent got up from bed and took a shower. Once dressed, he exited his room to find Reno coming out of the guestroom. "Reno."

"Morning, Vinny!" Reno stood there in his wrinkled dress shirt and pants, his hair wild and his eye patch missing, giving Vincent a good view of the damage done to the right side of his face.

Trying to hide any negative reaction and not wishing to stare, Vincent looked over at Aaron's bedroom door. "Is Rude still asleep?"

"Probably. Lazy bitch doesn't get up until he absolutely has to." The ASRIO leader headed toward the bathroom. "Gotta pee."

Vincent just shook his head and then continued toward the kitchen. Sometimes, Reno was just more than he could handle. Especially in the morning.

He got some coffee brewing and then went out into the living room, knowing that Brad was already up since the television was on.

The chopper pilot looked over as Vincent entered. "Look what the cat dragged in."

"Brad." Vincent went and fell back into his usual chair. "What are you watching?"

"Just flipping around through the channels." Brad tossed the remote over to Vincent.

Not really having anything in particular that he wanted to watch, Vincent drifted through the channels until he settled upon some old movie that he'd seen a dozen times before. "When do you think that you will be heading back to the base?"

Brad shrugged. "Whenever in the hell Reno wants us to go. I'll be willing to bet that he won't be in any huge hurry but we should get back there by tonight. That way, I can bring Tifa and your kids back here tomorrow after Aaron gets his injection."

Vincent absorbed this information silently before looking over at the other man. "I'll appreciate that."

"No problem." He scooted over and made room on the couch as Reno appeared and landed next to him.

Reno, now sporting his eye patch and having his hair combed spoke up. "What we watching?"

"Just a movie." Vincent looked at his son-in-law. "When do you plan on leaving?"

"What, did I overstay my welcome already?" Reno asked, donning a pout. "You're a shitty hostess, Vinny."

"I was merely curious." Vincent knew that extracting information from Reno was never easy. Never.

"Well, fuck, let's see." Reno looked thoughtful. "Rude won't get up until at least noon…so, I guess some time after that."

Satisfied, Vincent fell silent and went into the kitchen to go get some coffee.

-------------------------

Two hours into the flight, and Cid was doing his best to keep the plane steady in the storm that had set in. The rain was hitting the fuselage of the plane loudly, audible even over the engines. Lightning was flashing in the clouds around them on occasion, but he wasn't too concerned. After all, this wasn't the first storm that he'd ever flown through.

Tifa, on the other hand, was more than a little nervous. She kept looking back, seeing that Aaron and Charlotte were both mercifully asleep and oblivious as to the situation. She kept glancing over at Cid for reassurance and he just offered it in the form of his usual smirk.

"You doin' all right?" he asked, after the plane was rocked by a particularly strong gust of wind.

She was gripping the armrests of her seat painfully tight, and was shaking enough for it to be noticeable. "The weather out there is just so scary."

He reached over and patted one of her hands. "Just a little storm, Tif. Relax."

"Easy for you to say." Tifa resumed looking out the window. "Can we just land and maybe wait for it to get clearer?"

"We're still over water, Tif. There ain't no where to land right now." He wished that he could set down for her sake. Seeing her this scared wasn't doing anything for him.

Tifa closed her eyes and leaned back in her seat, doing her best to let go of her tension. Just went she thought that it was going to work and that she was going to relax, another flash of lightning and a tremor through the plane forced her to sit up straight and look over at Cid. The engine sounds of the plane suddenly changed and the whole craft began to shudder. "What was that?"

Cid completely ignored her for the moment, reaching forward and tapping on one of the gauges. He then flipped a few switches, but nothing changed. He cursed under his breath and jerked on the control stick.

Suddenly, the sound of the engine on the left side of the plane died away completely.

Tifa was now truly panicked. She looked back to see that the kids were still both asleep before turning to Cid. "What's going on?"

"Lost an engine." Cid never looked at her, as he tried a few other things. "Fuck."

Tifa's heart was pounding in her chest. "Cid? We…we can still fly with just one engine, right?"

"Yeah, one engine ain't a problem. The fuel line being busted is, though." Cid hit the fuel gauge hard one last time but the needle continued to drop. "And…I've lost control of the tail."

"What are you going to do?" Tifa could feel the plane descending.

Cid knit his brow and hung his head for a moment.

"Cid? What are we going to _do_?" Tifa reached over and grabbed his arm, clutching it painfully.

"Tifa, the kid's are still asleep, right?" he asked, closing his eyes.

She glanced back, seeing that they were. Tifa turned her stare back to Cid. "Yeah…"

"Good. Don't wake them up."

"Cid?" Tifa called out again, feeling tears in her eyes.

Slowly, he reached forward and grabbed his father's cigarettes and lighter from where they were stashed. He got one between his lips and lit up.

"Cid, please, tell me what's going on!" Tifa begged, already having a good idea since Cid was smoking.

He took a long drag and then looked over at her. "Tif, we're fucked."

-------------------------

Reno was still sitting on the couch, watching the noon news. Brad was outside checking out the helicopter, and Rude was presently in the shower.

Vincent strolled in, having been outside tending to Tifa's chickens and the pond. He looked at the television screen and then over at Reno. "Anything of interest going on?"

"Some huge storm I guess heading up toward Costa," Reno sighed back.

Vincent knew that Reno was obsessed with weather for some reason and decided to sit next to him on the couch and watch the rest of the news for himself.

The commercial break ended, and the newscaster began to speak. "We have a breaking report of a small charter plane going down."

The screen then changed to a search and rescue operation. Bits of plane wreckage were visible floating out on the water, amongst which were several Coast Guard vessels.

Vincent's eyes went wide. A section of the plane's body was visible and recognizable. The call letters were legible upon it and thanks to his photographic memory, he knew.

He knew.

The newscaster's voice came back over the pictures. "According to authorities, the bodies of a man, woman, and young boy were pulled from the water. A dive team went down and the remains of an infant were also recovered. Identities are being withheld pending the notification of the next of kin."

Vincent was shaking, his color completely drained from his face.

Reno looked over at him and placed his arm around Vincent's shoulders. "Look, Vinny…we don't know that was them. Just…calm down until we find out, all right?"

Vincent pushed Reno's arm away and slowly stood. Nausea was setting in. "Reno…it was… I recognize the plane… My whole fucking family, Reno…"

Reno already had tears marking his cheek. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, he knew that Vincent was correct. He was frozen in his spot, looking once again to the television screen as they continued to give what information they could.

Vincent turned away and took a few steps toward his bedroom, feeling like his legs were going to give out from under him. "I…I'm going to be sick…"

Reno wanted to do something for him, but was too mesmerized by the scene on the television. One of the men on a small boat was pulling Charlotte's diaper bag from the water.

Vincent was having a hard time even breathing, as he walked to his room. It was a dream, it all had to be a terrible dream, he kept thinking to himself. Once he got to his room, he closed the door behind him and locked it. He immediately knelt at the side of the bed and threw up onto the carpet. After several more minutes of heaving, he struggled to his feet. Tears burned in his eyes, and there was an incredible tightness in his throat. He looked over at the closet and knew what he had to do. With his right hand shaking, he opened it and pulled something from the top shelf.

Reno was still staring at the television.

"Reno!"

He snapped out of his state and looked over, spotting Tseng standing a short way off. "B…Boss?"

"Go stop him!" Tseng pointed down the hall.

Realizing what was going on, Reno leapt up from the couch and ran down the hall. He hit Vincent's bedroom door hard, but found it locked. He pounded on it. "Vinny! Open up or I'm gonna break it down!"

But Vincent didn't answer.

Instead, there was the sound of a gunshot and a bullet ripped through the bedroom door, just a few inches from Reno's head. He gasped and took a step back, as the unmistakable sound of Vincent's body hitting the floor met him.

"V…Vinny?" Reno stood in the hall, shaking. He knew what had happened, door locked or not.

A/N-- This is not the end. There is one more bit to go. Go have a nice, hot cup of tea first.


	55. Chapter 55

I hope your tea was good.

Chapter 55

Jaras sat in his small room, restrained as usual in a straight jacket. Honestly, it was more of a cell than a proper room. His madness seemed unwilling to break. Various medications had been pumped into him to try and help, but he seemed to have some freakishly high tolerance for drugs, making them all ineffectual. He presently was leaning back against the wall with his eyes closed, exhausted and desperate for any sort of restful sleep. Every time he managed to slip out of consciousness, though, he was thrown into long and complex nightmares. In each of these horrid dreams, the lives of those he loved were ripped apart and ultimately, they ended with the onset of his madness. His most recent attempt at sleep had just been shattered by the image of his father committing suicide.

Jeanine was watching him through the small window in his room's door. She came every day to see him, trying to make some sort of progress, but nothing seemed to get through. He had done so well to live a normal life, even after finding out who he had been, but then things had started to change shortly after the birth of his little brother, Aaron. He sunk deeper and deeper into some sort of depression, until he ceased being able to function at all. Eventually, he refused to even speak anymore and after having tried repeatedly to kill or hurt himself, Jeanine had been presented with no other choice than to commit him. It had been the worst thing she'd had to do in her life, but at least here, Jaras couldn't harm himself or, God forbid, anyone else.

Being the only honest mental health professional in Mideel was trying enough, but having to see her husband locked away like some feral animal made it damn near unbearable. In light of this, she had moved and had Jaras transferred to a facility in Junon, so that other doctors could help out with his care.

She spent hours everyday sitting with him, trying to break through some sort of barrier with him, but the result was always the same. Jaras would sit before her, arms strapped across his chest, rocking back and forth nervously, his eyes blank and fixed on the floor. There was never any acknowledgement on his part that she was even there.

Heartsick after yet another day of failure, Jeanine eventually turned from the scene and pulled out her phone.

Someone answered on the third ring. He always did. "Hello?"

She smiled to herself to hear his voice. It reminded her of what Jaras' had been like. "Hi, Vincent."

Upon realizing that it was Jeanine, Vincent went over and sat at a chair before his kitchen table. She called everyday to give him an update. "Has there been any change?"

"No, there hasn't." Jeanine stepped out of the building and into the afternoon air. Tears burned in her eyes.

Vincent sighed heavily and then turned when he heard someone enter through the kitchen's door. It was Tifa. "That's too bad."

"I know." Jeanine strode across the hospital parking lot and to her car. "So, how are things with you?"

Vincent looked back over his shoulder at his heavily pregnant wife. "Good, just a few more weeks."

"Thirty four weeks now, right?" Jeanine asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yeah." Vincent got up and went over to inspect what was in the shopping bags that Tifa had just set on the counter. "Tifa spoke with Cid the other day and I guess he's going to pick up Reno and Angel once Tifa has the baby and they'll all come to visit. Porter and Rayna might even come by with their little girl, too."

Jeanine produced a sad smile as she pulled her car keys from her pocket. "I wish I could come, too, but you know…"

Vincent appreciated her dedication to his son, even though he knew that honestly, it was slowly killing her. "We understand, and I'm grateful that you're there for Jaras."

Opting to turn the conversation away from her plight, Jeanine went on, "So, what does Aaron think about this new baby that's on the way?"

"He's excited." Vincent spotted a pudding cup in the shopping bag and pulled it out. "He's anxious to finally have a brother or sister, whatever the case may be."

She could hear him digging through a silverware drawer for a spoon. "That's good."

Vincent landed back at the kitchen table. "Yeah, and I know Tifa's getting ready to be done with pregnancy, too."

Never having been pregnant, Jeanine couldn't honestly relate. "I bet."

Vincent carried on talking with his daughter-in-law for several more minutes until he'd finished his snack. "Well, I better go. Tifa has a doctor's appointment this afternoon that she wants me to go to with her."

"All right." Jeanine was still sitting in her car in the parking lot. "I'll call you tomorrow."

"Okay, good bye." Vincent got back up.

"Bye." Jeanine flipped closed her phone and let her head fall back and hit the headrest of the seat. It was just too much. She feared that Jaras would never be all right. It seemed to her that he was going to be forever locked into his mind, silently suffering through whatever visions were constantly marching through his mind. She wished she knew, she really did.

Maybe tomorrow there would be some change.

She hoped that every day.

**The End**

A/N-- Well loves, that's it. I actually wrote this last chapter about two months ago, knowing how it was going to end, but needing still to fill in the middle. I hope none of you are too disappointed, and in fact, I want most of you to walk away from this with some sense of relief, knowing that all of our other beloved characters are still very much alive and kicking. Yes, we lost Jaras to madness, but he is the only actual casualty. Perhaps this story was, all in all, too cliché, but…again, I wrote this mainly as a means of expressing some things in my own life that I was going through. This story turned out very personal and…well, I'm glad that I got to share it with those of you who stuck with me.

I will continue writing, have no fear. I will post more here in the future, as well as original works over at Fictionpress, and Adultfanfiction (That's where I keep the smut...and there's a lot of it). I'll be seeing you around.

Thank you all,

Kristen


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